How are you feeling after your summer break? Refreshed? Raring to go? Or just a bit low? Results of a YouGov survey released this week showed that 39 per cent of respondents, who were all residents of the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are feeling anxious about going back to work or school this week. Undertaken on behalf of the online shopping platform AliExpress, the survey also reported that 56 per cent of people are experiencing the post-holiday blues, resulting in mood swings, sleepless nights and reduced productivity in the workplace.
The start of the school year signals a slight return to normality in the UAE, where lots of people take prolonged summer breaks and the sweltering heat seems to drag on interminably. Even though it probably won’t cool down for at least another month, mentally, we’re all breathing a sigh of relief because we feel like we’ve made it through the worst of it. There was an actual breeze when I walked the dog this morning – and while it would be a stretch to call it cool, it didn’t feel like I was walking headlong into a giant hairdryer, for a change.
Nonetheless, settling back into your post-holiday routine can be tricky. Whether you’ve been relaxing on a beach in the Mediterranean, ambling through historic European cities, getting spa treatments in Sri Lanka, or have spent the past few weeks surrounded by extended family in the familiar, nostalgia-imbued surrounds of home, transitioning back to real life can be a painful process.
“Although ‘post-holiday blues’ is not recognised as a disorder, it is actually a very real and normal reaction when one has been on holiday, had a break from the norm and then returned back to the routines and responsibilities of everyday life,” Annie Crookes, head of psychology at Heriot-Watt University’s Dubai campus, said in response to the AliExpress survey.
“Post-holiday blues is something we should acknowledge and deal with when we experience it. It is a withdrawal of sorts from the excitement and novelty of holiday fun. So the absence of it can have a converse effect, resulting in mood swings, lack of motivation and difficulty concentrating back at work. Sometimes, it may come across almost like a mild depression.”
Close to 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents admitted that they would be relying on retail therapy to lift themselves out of their post-holiday slump, but my fail-safe strategy is to ensure that there’s already another holiday in the pipeline. You don’t need to completely finalise plans, but just thinking about your next break will go some way in easing those blues.
If that’s not feasible, start getting some fun activities in the diary. Agree to meet all those friends you’ve missed over the summer; book a table at your favourite restaurant; take an early morning swim in the sea; or plan a staycation. Basically, start reminding yourself of the best things about living in this country.
Treat the end of the summer and the beginning of the school term like the start of a new year – a new UAE year. Make a couple of unofficial resolutions and try to achieve them before 2018 comes to a close. And unpack that suitcase. Having it lying around will only make things worse.
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Read more of Selina's thoughts:
Missing out on milestone events in the lives of family and friends. Is this the real expat tax?
Beach holidays: a major bore or the ultimate escape? I'm about to find out
Does a newfound appreciation of oud mean my brain has been rewired?
Paying tribute to the extraordinary life of my dad, the ultimate expat
Why eating meat makes me feel like a hypocrite
Phone etiquette? I need some guidelines please
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Kalra's feat
- Becomes fifth batsman to score century in U19 final
- Becomes second Indian to score century in U19 final after Unmukt Chand in 2012
- Scored 122 in youth Test on tour of England
- Bought by Delhi Daredevils for base price of two million Indian rupees (Dh115,000) in 2018 IPL auction
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
More from UAE Human Development Report:
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Korean Film Festival 2019 line-up
Innocent Witness, June 26 at 7pm
On Your Wedding Day, June 27 at 7pm
The Great Battle, June 27 at 9pm
The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, June 28 at 4pm
Romang, June 28 at 6pm
Mal Mo E: The Secret Mission, June 28 at 8pm
Underdog, June 29 at 2pm
Nearby Sky, June 29 at 4pm
A Resistance, June 29 at 6pm
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Top financial tips for graduates
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The years Ramadan fell in May
more from Janine di Giovanni
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
