Ever feel more depressed on vacation than you do at home? You aren't alone. Many people build up the idea that they should be nothing but happy on vacation, and when this fails to materialize, they can get downright depressed.  Vacation is a great opportunity to play, have time together and do stuff that is a change from your ordinary routine, but it is not utopia. You can still fight with your spouse, your kids and sometimes with all that togetherness, you fight even more than usual. This does not make you a bad spouse or parent, it makes you human with too high expectations.

Sometimes the down time of vacation allows ideas to come up in your mind that you have been tucked away because it would stress you out. For instance, you might start pondering problems with a parent or sibling, guilt about something going on with a friend, concerns about where your job is really heading, dissatisfaction with work or staying home as a parent. As these thoughts break through they can weigh on you and feel incongruent with having fun.

A break is great, but it does not solve issues of money, sex, parenting, career, in-laws or all the other stressors a family has to deal with. So, give yourself a break and know that feeling a little down, or worried or even disappointed is not so surprising. It can be a good time to think about what has bubbled up and how you might want to deal with it. Internal problems often get puzzled through on vacations.