Sorry for the late email today. Two days I moved back to Canada and I’m still fighting jet lag.
As some of you know, I spent summers in Canada and winters in Spain, about six months in each spot. Since there is a six hour difference in time, I’ve learned a couple of tricks to help with the transition. You can apply them to any trip that crosses multiple time zones.
The 1st trick is to start living life as if you’re already at your destination. This means waking up, eating, working, and sleeping in the new time zone just before leaving.
I usually start this process 2-3 days before the flight. Thus earlier this week, and since Spain is ahead, I went to bed later and later and woke up later and later. By the time my body arrived in Canada, it’s somewhat used to the new time and can cope better.
The 2nd trick is once you arrive, get as much sunlight as possible. This helps realign your internal clock. If you arrive in the morning at your destination, stay awake for as long as possible. If you arrive at night, go to bed right away.
The takeaway
When I was in Spain, it was easy to write these emails in the afternoon, local time, and have them arrive in your inbox around 7am EST. Now that I’m in Canada, these emails will probably arrive much later in the day. I’m not a morning person 😀