So, you just got back from your Europe trip, eh? You’re frustrated, broke, stuck in a cycle of reminiscing and just don’t understand why people aren’t interested in your stories. Here you are, feeling entirely different, while everything and everyone else seems to have stayed the exact same…

Welcome to Reverse Culture Shock. Now, try not to let your ego make it worse.

Reverse Culture Shock, or post-travel depression refers to the difficulty in adapting to life back at home after an extended period away. It’s diagnosed by moodiness, heavy criticism of old habits and an elevated sense of self-importance and ego.

Everyone experiences the shock of swapping your flip flops for closed-toed shoes – it’s hard going from ultimate freedom to the strictures of society after returning home from a backpacking trip. You’ll have trouble sleeping without the eleven other bodies in a room – you think beer for breakfast is a good idea and have no sense of personal space or privacy. I remember switching T-Shirts on the street without a second thought the first week I got home (if anyone’s unclear, this is not acceptable behavior outside your hostel dorm).

While people are still ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ over your travel stories, elevating your ego, you can’t help but think of how different you feel about yourself. Pro-tip: Do not tell people this.

Yes, you’ve experienced a considerable shift in your worldview: you have probably expanded your experiences so-much that you feel you don’t have a lot left in common with your old friends. You’ve been exposed to so many different elements of your own personality that you’re left feeling irrevocably changed.

These are compounded by the sadness you feel knowing your stretch of freedom is over and you’re back to everyday routines. You’re in a perpetual state of mourning, having returned home to pick up the threads of your old life. To beat the reverse culture shock and avoid being insufferable for your friends and family and friends there’re a few things to keep in mind…

Yeah – beer abroad might’ve been 50p, but here it’s not. Deal with it. Every time you’re getting starry-eyed, bringing up how cheap and wonderful it was away, your friends will be rolling their eyes behind your back. Accept it and pay the cashier his money. Remember, no one likes a whiner.

While coming home might be infuriating as you find yourself painfully longing to get out and go away, there’s something that can help.

All pretentious jokes aside, travelling lights a spark in you. It gives you the confidence to go out, talk to new people and try new things. Don’t let that adventurous spirit fade.