If you’ve ever been to Disneyland, you’ve probably experienced the “hangover” once you get home…that tired, ache-y, FOMO feeling, even though you just got home. Nothing cures the Disneyland hangover quite like another trip, but there are a few other things you can do in the meantime to bounce back after visiting the mouse.
Recharge & refuel your body.
If you’ve spent a few days with Mickey, odds are you’re running on less sleep, more walking, and more junk food than normal. Part of the feeling of a Disneyland hangover is your body needing a break! When you come home, focus on eating a lot of nutrient-rich meals and get some extra sleep. Let your body recover from the indulgence and you’ll start feeling better pretty quickly.
Document your trip while it’s fresh in your mind.
Sometimes, the best remedy for the Disney blues is looking through memories from old trips. When you’re freshly back and feeling that Disneyland hangover, take some time to document the fun you just had. This can take many forms: a journal with daily itineraries and stories, a photo album of all your adventures, even pins and buttons collected from different places in the parks. Having these memories to look back on will make you smile and re-live a little of that Disney magic.
Unpack & wear/use your souvenirs.
I personally am a huge procrastinator when it comes to unpacking from a trip, especially one I really enjoyed and don’t want to be over! But if you bought souvenirs during your trip, being able to see/wear/use them really helps the hangover subside. Did you buy a figurine? Find a spot to display it. Grabbed some new t-shirts? Start wearing them. And if your ear collection grew during your trip, I highly recommend finding a way to store them so they’re visible. Celebrate your collection and the memories associated with them.
Listen to park loops.
Many of the music loops you hear in different lands or attractions around the resort are available to stream online. I like to listen to them at work or while I’m cleaning my apartment – they make for wonderful background noise and always put me in a good mood.
Plan your next trip – even if you can’t book one.
Of course, it’s always fun to plan your next trip to the mouse, and the FOMO feeling will go away pretty quickly. But if you can’t just turn around and plan a trip as soon as you get home, you can still lessen your hangover by thinking through how you’ll do things next time. Make note of what worked and what didn’t during your last trip. What would you like to do differently next time? What do you want to try that you haven’t yet? This kind of planning will help you stop pining for your last trip and start getting excited for the next one, whenever it may be!
I certainly agree with the suggestion to plan the next trip. I had a visit to Shanghai planned for end May/beginning of June which had to be cancelled – although now Disneyland Shanghai is re-opening on a limited basis. But too late. I also have plans for New York in August – all of these blocked out early in the new year. The NYC trip is still a possibility, although the US seems to be behind much of the world in terms of its control of COVID-19. I hope that situation improves for everyone’s sake! Before I retired, I would cheer myself up at work when I had time by drawing up a schedule for forthcoming trips, researching air routes and fairs online, writing in daily activities (so I would remember what I wanted to do while at my destination(s) and details of anyone I wanted to contact. It’s not quite as exciting as actually booking a trip, but when the time comes that you can – you’ve already got much of it planned.
I hear you! Probably better to experience Shanghai without all the limitations of a restricted re-opening. And I have to say, I’ve done the same thing during boring work days 🙂