Post-Erasmus depression

Yes, post-Erasmus depression is a real thing that happens to most people after returning from their Erasmus+, regardless of the place they chose or the duration of the programme. It does not get as much attention as it should. It is something that sometimes makes people fail the next year because they are unable to concentrate on their studies. It has also affected me in quite large scale.

It is the end of your Erasmus+ and you just arrived home. You are happy that you finally get to see your family and friends again and tell them stories about the exchange. You go into your room and it hits you: it is over. It is really over. And you start to think about the vibrant atmosphere Madrid has, always sunny days, drinking at Templo de Debod making sure the police do not see you... You even start to miss the crowds going out of the metro station. You start to feel very melancholic and wish you could still be there in Madrid where you got to really be yourself, where you were not limited by the way people in your home-country think, where you were an exotic exchange student and where you could go anywhere without being seen.

Being back will make you seem like nothing has really changed. But you did. You are more open minded now and your point of view is way more critical, you just cannot bear the conversations about how bad the refugees are for the country and how traveling is so dangerous. You might see other people's lives trapped in their own little box where they are not really happy but they got used to live like that and they do not want to change anything about themselves. And you swear to yourself that you will not end up like them.

At the end of the day the one thing you have to do is accept that you are back. It is the end of one chapter of your life from which you will forever keep those awesome memories: there are so many others ahead. I would like to help you get through depression by describing methods that helped me accept the new - old situation.

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Madrid, Madrid, Madrid...

Find a new hobby

You can make your days more vivid by finding a new hobby. It can be anything: from painting, acting, cooking, playing an instrument to sports. Fill your days with something. I started attending guided workouts where I got to feel proud of myself at the end of each hour. It was not really all that much about getting a summer body but it was more a way of opening the valve to release stress of everyday and a way of dedicating to something. That helped me to think less about the past and made me being back more real. It is also good to try something you were scared to try before or something you thought you were not capable of doing. Let yourself experimenting.

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Be active

Do not let yourself fall into the sea of depression laying on your bed looking at the ceiling all day long. Make your days filled with activities so you will not have time for tiredness caused by not having anything wise to do, like in some of the novels. I am not saying that you should exceed your capabilities and get really worn-out as you also have to take time to rest after a day at university. But make every day interesting in its own special way: if you do not know what to do in the afternoon, make that call and meet a friend you have not talked to for over 2 years, go for a walk around your nearest park or attend your first swing class! You can also decide to put your experiences into word by starting your own blog.

Renew your old friendships

Remind yourself what connects you with your friends back home. Take them for a drink in the center and talk about ridiculous stories from years ago. Laugh about events in your country which is something you could not really do with your Erasmus friends. Compensate those endless party nights in Madrid by gossiping about typical fellow citizens and attending interesting events. Have a movie night or road trip to the nearest river. They will probably get fed up with your Erasmus stories soon so try not to talk about them too much, but rather do that with your new international friends.

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Find happiness in small things

That is something I am still working on. But it really is not healthy to hold on to your past so hard that you forget to live the present. Time goes by fast and there are countless good things to be happy about in your country, you only have to find them, like the croissants from the bakery around the corner that you like so much or those coffee shops in the center where you can spend two hours looking at the river. Persisting in constant thinking about Erasmus will only keep you sad and depressed - I can tell you that from experience. So let yourself do that: be sad for a few days about the end of your Erasmus+ and then let it go. Allow the smallest of things around you to make you happy and take time for yourself - color your hair, go to that restaurant you wanted to for so long, start reading that book that gathers dust on a shelf.

Attend international meetings

You have been in contact with people from backgrounds different to yours and you realized how much you liked those conversations. Being back does not mean you cannot have it: you can go to Erasmus parties and international meetings. Volunteer for a buddy to one of the international students, offer to help them and show them around your city. You can also get a student job in a hostel or tourist office where you can make friends from other countries. Invite your Erasmus friends to your country and have a crazy weekend together.

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Start planning your next trip

Most international students love to travel. They imagine it in many different ways: some of them like to go on solo trips sightseeing and visiting museums while others do it with friends drinking and eating in restaurants. Put that passion for travel of yours into planning your next trip. Visiting new friends from other countries is just a one more reason to go. I did mine when I got the first opportunity during Easter holidays by visiting my Madrid roomie in Warsaw, we were using spanglish with a bit of polish and slovene for communication. You can also push the boundaries by trying solo, going to a new continent, doing a backpack trip, hitchhiking or even volunteering.

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