Ep. 179: How to Beat the Post-Hawaii Blues: 3 Simple Steps to Keep the Aloha Alive

How to Beat the Post-Hawaii Blues: 3 Simple Steps to Keep the Aloha Alive

[00:00:00] Bryan Murphy: In this episode, you’ll discover three simple steps to beat the post Hawaii blues. will talk about ways to prepare before you leave on your trip. How to keep the aloha spirit alive in your daily routine, when you get home, and how to look ahead with excitement by planning your next trip to Hawaii, Aloha. Welcome back to Hawaii’s. Best. a lot of us have been there. Get back from a trip and post Hawaii blues sets in. It’s a real thing. Post vacation, depression effects. Surprisingly, 57% of travelers according to the Wikipedia page about post vacation blues and Hawaii trips can be especially hard.

[00:00:40] Bryan Murphy: The lifestyle change can be dramatic. You can go from island time to rush hour traffic in just 12 minutes. I’ve definitely have been there, Landon and LAX when we used to fly out of LAX, and I do anything I can to not fly out of LAX. But when you get back to L-A-L-A-X and you get on the 1 o 5 and traffic is going, you know, 80 at least it’s a rude awakening that you’re back to reality.

[00:01:05] Bryan Murphy: So I’ve been there. I’ve experienced it myself.

[00:01:07] Bryan Murphy: The adjustment It can definitely be brutal. So if you haven’t been to Hawaii yet, maybe this is a fair warning just to know how to prepare and plan for your post potential Hawaii Blues. And for those of you who have been Hawaii, I’m sure you have experienced some of this too, an extent.

[00:01:24] Bryan Murphy: today we’re covering some proven strategies that have helped me personally beat That crash of getting back into reality. And these aren’t just like, feel good tips some of them are, but these are all practical methods that actually work that can help you bring aloha with you wherever you are.

[00:01:41] Bryan Murphy: So your Hawaii experience doesn’t have to end as you deplane.

[00:01:46] Bryan Murphy: All right, step number one is prepare before you leave. This is something that took us quite a while to actually learn and to implement. before you leave.

[00:01:56] Bryan Murphy: Oh, and I just want to back up real quick. I’ve included first link in the show notes below. I’ve included a free guide On how to beat Post Hawaii blue. So just go to the first link in the show notes to download that today, and you’ll have that for your next time you get back home from Hawaii.

[00:02:13] Bryan Murphy: one of the first tips is clean your house before your trip. You know, fresh sheets tidy up the space. Now I’m talking about, you know, walking into your home and feeling instant relief instead of stress. Kind of that same feeling as maybe you stayed in a hotel or wherever you stayed, maybe a condo in Hawaii and you walk in and it’s clean it just feels like you can just.

[00:02:35] Bryan Murphy: Unwind. Having that same feeling when you come back home instead of reminders of everything that that has been neglected. You know, just dirty dishes in the sink and laundry piled up. If you can get those done before you leave, it will definitely help unburden some of that stress as you give back home.

[00:02:55] Bryan Murphy: Maybe have some easy meals ready, frozen dinners or, or maybe a little budget for DoorDash.

[00:03:01] Bryan Murphy: Something you can grab without thinking too much. You’ll be exhausted after the flight. Your body clock is probably completely off Grocery shopping at 9:00 PM while jet lag is, isn’t definitely, is not recommended.

[00:03:13] Bryan Murphy: one thing a lot of people miss is that they pack. Every single day in Hawaii from sunrise to sunset, you know you’re snorkeling at 6 you’re hiking by 9 beach time at noon, dinner reservations at seven, maybe try to squeeze in a luau.

[00:03:28] Bryan Murphy: Somewhere in there and you’re scheduling yourself into exhaustion. So build in some downtime. Leave time to breathe. Spend a morning just sitting on the beach doing nothing. Take an afternoon nap let yourself move at island pace. And when you. Over schedule yourself.

[00:03:44] Bryan Murphy: You return drained instead of refresh. And probably one of the main reasons you wanted to take a trip to Hawaii is to feel refreshed. So give yourself that and give your family that time to actually recharge and refresh. So when you’re over-scheduled, that transition home can feel like hitting a wall at full speed

[00:04:02] Bryan Murphy: You just wanna land into comfort instead of just chaos. And that’s just one step that can help beat the post Hawaii blues. Step number two is keep the aloha spirit alive daily.

[00:04:13] Bryan Murphy: Now your mindset matters a lot here and a lot of people fail. I know. I have in trying to get back into routine and most travelers think of their trip as like a closed chapter. The second that they board the plane home or get off the plane, it’s over. It’s done. You’re back to reality. And really

[00:04:32] Bryan Murphy: that’s a misstep. you know, maybe journal your trip highlights while you’re still there, or maybe on the plane, you know, write down where you stayed, those hidden spots that you’ve found, the people that you’ve met, the meal,

[00:04:43] Bryan Murphy: That sunset that just made it incredible, that time with the family. You know, do that, write it down, jot it down, or maybe just go through your camera roll, maybe on the plane or when you get home, that really helps shift your brain and it’s, it’s no longer, you know, the trip is over. It becomes the trip. Is now a part of you.

[00:04:59] Bryan Murphy: It is a part of me. It’s you’re not losing Hawaii, you’re carrying it forward. It’s a memory that you can take forever in your life. You could take that forever, wherever you go. Another tip is, as much as you can slow your pace at home, at least those next, few days as you get back home, you know, this is critical.

[00:05:15] Bryan Murphy: Think about the routines that you had while you were on island. Maybe you were just sipping coffee instead of just chugging it. As you know, part of your routine, take time to savor. Take long walks without your phone. Those things that you felt in Hawaii recharged you. You know, those are some things that he can carry back home with you as well.

[00:05:33] Bryan Murphy: And obviously you’re not gonna be able to create Hawaii perfectly, and that’s really impossible. You’re carrying that slower rhythm into your daily routine. You know, five minutes of potential slowness can really change your entire morning.

[00:05:47] Bryan Murphy: Another little tip is create a countdown to your next trip, even if it’s, you know, a year away or two years away, or having that date circled or as a countdown. And sometimes I have that on my phone, like a countdown to an important date, and I can see it on my lock screen. Just helps create excitement.

[00:06:04] Bryan Murphy: And if you can just, book the trip as soon as you can. Having those confirmation emails in your inbox flips your mindset from it’s over to, I get to go back, but if you can’t book right away, totally understand. Most people aren’t able to book right away, but maybe start planning, Have fun browsing through flights, maybe looking at hotel options, new places. You wanna try new experiences, and you want to create.

[00:06:26] Bryan Murphy: Even just thinking about these possibilities creates some of that spark of anticipation you felt before your last trip and maybe stay connected through this podcast. We, you know, I have over.

[00:06:36] Bryan Murphy: 170 episodes of Travel Tips Island guides, local business conversations. if you’re missing Hawaii, throw on an old episode while cooking, community, walking wherever you’re doing, and it’s a simple way to keep aloha in your daily routine. And really that’s why I started this podcast and Hawaii’s best the blog and the social media and the whole thing was I was missing Hawaii and I wanted to bring Hawaii back home with me as much as I can. And it’s turned into this really cool

[00:07:04] Bryan Murphy: platform, an opportunity to have conversations with amazing people in Hawaii.

[00:07:09] Bryan Murphy: So go back, listen to some of those episodes and just hit follow on Apple or Spotify and you’ll stay up to date as I release future episodes as well. And through that, listening to some of the old episodes, you’ll get to hear local businesses and I hope that will inspire you to support local while you’re at home.

[00:07:27] Bryan Murphy: There’s so many ways that you can do that, you know, be it ordering local. Maybe it’s the We order from Hawaiian Bath and Body and we had ’em on the podcast actually, and, you know, we love their soaps. And you get that smell from the islands and it just kind of really brings Hawaii back home.

[00:07:43] Bryan Murphy: Another big way that has helped me is, is just music is streaming Hawaiian radio stations and you know, you do that right on iHeart Radio.

[00:07:51] Bryan Murphy: there are many stations streaming right there. As I’m pulling up on my app right now. Some of them I’m subscribed to are.

[00:07:56] Bryan Murphy: Oh, see, you can hear it playing as soon as I open the app. So, um, I’m subscribed to, Hawaii NOCO O, which is 99.1.

[00:08:05] Bryan Murphy: A wine style band right there. Rhythm of the ocean.

[00:08:09] Bryan Murphy: I’ll just give you my stations. I have right here, uh, Which is, um, 1 0 5 0.1.

[00:08:17] Bryan Murphy: Island 98.5. You get the idea. It’s a great way to just stay connected, with what’s going on in Hawaii. I also created a Spotify playlist of some of my favorite slot key and local artists from Israel Kamale to, you know, island reggae and anything in between.

[00:08:35] Bryan Murphy: It’s a great. Playlist. I often play it just to get those Hawaii vibes.

[00:08:39] Bryan Murphy: Another tip is maybe change your physical space. Maybe hang that lei that you got from your trip.

[00:08:44] Bryan Murphy: I have a lei po that, one of my daughters had, and I have that hanging in my office.

[00:08:49] Bryan Murphy: add art pieces around the house that just kinda remind you of Hawaii.

[00:08:53] Bryan Murphy: Local online stores like NoHo Homes, who’ve actually we’ve had in the podcast as well.

[00:08:58] Bryan Murphy: And Soha living. Those are a couple spots that you can go to online and maybe get an item number two that reminds you of Hawaii.

[00:09:05] Bryan Murphy: It’s a nice way to have something in your physical space that reminds you of your trip.

[00:09:09] Bryan Murphy: you’re just wanting to create visual reminders that connect you back to your time in Hawaii, you know? So every time you look at that photo or you look at that art piece, you’re just reminded of your trip.

[00:09:19] Bryan Murphy: Another tip is just find aloha where you live. You don’t need to be on the islands to feel connected. You know, maybe play tourist in your own town, try a restaurant that you’ve never been to. Check out a local trail visit landmarks that People travel to your area to see, you know, approach your hometown with that same curiosity that you had in Hawaii, just a couple miles from where we live. this is how I got connected with.

[00:09:43] Bryan Murphy: North Shore Plate lunch and that family there we actually had on the podcast as well. they have amazing plate lunch, poke, you know, the whole thing. And they’re right here in Southern California and they’re legit. I can’t recommend them enough.

[00:09:56] Bryan Murphy: just happened to be just kind of plain tourists in my own town and, being curious about who’s actually right around in the same community I’m in.

[00:10:04] Bryan Murphy: You know, most of us, ignore our backyard and we save exploration for vacation. But that mindset keeps you kind of trapped in this routine. And when you start exploring locally, you realize adventure doesn’t require a plane ticket.

[00:10:16] Bryan Murphy: It could be found right within, 20 miles from your house.

[00:10:20] Bryan Murphy: And another tip learn Hawaiian history and traditions. So you thinking about your next trip, just maybe learn more about Hawaii and its history and read books about the islands wash documentaries. continue to listen to this podcast, but I also would recommend listening to the podcast Keep It Aloha by Kama Diaz. He was actually a guest on my podcast and he has a show that talks about all the local things kind of like a locals only Joe Rogan style podcast.

[00:10:46] Bryan Murphy: Another way to stay connected is join our Hawaii’s best Facebook group. You know, connect with people who love Hawaii just as much as you. You know, share tips, stories, resources.

[00:10:55] Bryan Murphy: It’s good to know that you’re not the only one missing the islands sometimes you need people who understand exactly what you’re going through with this post Hawaii Blues. And step number three, look ahead with excitement. The fastest cure for Post Hawaii blues is simple. Plan your next return.

[00:11:13] Bryan Murphy: Make a list of some of those places that you wanna try next time.

[00:11:16] Bryan Murphy: But I’ll tell you honestly, the tips that helped me the most are music and having some decor around me. and also clothing. there’s a couple clothing brands in Hawaii that I like to support. having that clothing pieces just kind of helps remind me of Hawaii and I also love hats.

[00:11:33] Bryan Murphy: So I have a lot of Hawaii hats, you know, from Aloha revolution to high life. To University of Hawaii. and then honestly, doing this podcast, helps me personally just stay connected to Hawaii and be able to produce content like this for you as a lot of us are doing our best to overcome post Hawaii blues.

[00:11:51] Bryan Murphy: But actually just wanna be honest with you,

[00:11:53] Bryan Murphy: I know kind of joking about post Hawaii Blues, but. If you are struggling honestly with depression, definitely seek out and get help. Depression is something that I’ve dealt with personally

[00:12:03] Bryan Murphy: and during a season of really strong depression, anxiety, I saw counsel and saw a counselor therapy. The whole thing. And it was super helpful in processing those emotions. And it wasn’t just about Hawaii, but if you’re already dealing with depression and then you get back from a Hawaii Something like this, I just would hate for it to add to preexisting depression. So honestly, get help. I’m gonna leave a link, it’s not an affiliate link. I’m gonna leave a link of an online therapy that has helped me called Better Help, and I’ll leave that in the show notes below. just wanted to kinda like all that aside, just to be real.

[00:12:39] Bryan Murphy: And if you are dealing with that, you’re definitely not alone.

[00:12:43] Bryan Murphy: I hope you found this episode helpful and I didn’t want to get all down at the end, but I also wanted to be real and recognize that because you’re not alone. and if this episode has been helpful for you, go ahead and hit follow for future episodes.

[00:12:57] Bryan Murphy: And like I mentioned, there’s a few links below that. First link is gonna be your free PDF for everything that we talked about today, so you can have for future planning. and I also will list my Spotify playlist within that PDF and also the stations I listen to on iHeartRadio.

[00:13:12] Bryan Murphy: I’ll list that all in the PDF and Alright, until next time, my friend,

[00:13:16] Bryan Murphy: as always live with Aloha.