“There’s no denying it, I’ve come down with a severe case of Facebook-envy.”

It has been 444 days, people.

Yes, 444 days ago it was the streets of Daikanyama in Tokyo and before that it was the dusty souks of Marrakech. You see,  I’m experiencing the hardest part of travel that no one talks about – the envy that follows your return.

Let me explain.

We spend a great deal of time dreaming, planning and living our escapes. And then, as if all at once, we’re there. We no longer fear the unknown, we embrace it. We stop avoiding strangers like the plague and begin to seek them out. And above all – well, certainly in my case – we stop watching what we eat and try everything within arms length.

(Lamb tagine with fragrant couscous. Yes, please. Pork, chive, chilli and cabbage gyoza. I’ll take ten. Cevapcici and stuffed barbeque squid – ok, ok, enough daydreaming).

As we grow increasingly out-of-touch liberated, we document our every step by posting envy-inducing, wicked, and downright obnoxious images to every platform we can get our greedy paws onto.

We’ll caption our photos incessantly:

“Wandering the streets of Lagos…”

“Salty hair, coconut oil, hot sun and big waves in Waikiki.”

“Watching the sunset with the whole beach to ourselves. #santorini”

“Waving goodbye to Marrakech and racing back to Madrid for more Valencian paella.”

And then, it’s all over. We return to the run-of-the-mill.

Yes, there’s a grace period of around two-weeks where you’ll spend your days catching up with friends and family. You’ll tell stories about the amazing – and very progressive – Pintxo bar you found in the back streets of San Sebastian. You’ll turn faces green-with-envy, literally, as you describe the black pebbles of Croatian beaches. Yep, you’ll live like a Kardashian for the first few weeks back – and then it all just… goes away. Everyone gets used to you being home, you’re not the new shiny object anymore and the questions just stop rolling in.

Quicker than you can say Manhattan, you become one of the rest of us schmucks, prying open your weary eyes day in and day out, only to be confronted with – well, see above.

Is your face a brilliant shade of asparagus-green too?

Apart from cutting ties with social media entirely and banning the #holidayselfie those envy-levels aren’t going to decrease anytime soon. But here’s how to manage it.

Step #1. Admit that you’re jealous.

You know what they say, the first step is admitting you have a problem…

Step #2. Put it in perspective.

Remember that hostel in Rome that gave you bed bugs? Well, chances are it didn’t make it to Instagram – even with the Ludwig filter.

Step #3. Choose a place and set a date.

Once in awhile you’ll see a status or an image that actually inspires you. Let it do more than that – let it inspire you to get off Facebook or Instagram and get out doing whatever it is that inspired you in the first place. For me, it’s the Instagram heaven that is The Maldives.

December 10th, 2015. Tick.

Step #4. Start appreciating.

In the words of Bob Marley, “Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you’re riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake up and live.”

Where will you travel to next?

If you’re still looking for inspiration, here are just a mere few of Nicole Warne aka Gary Pepper Girl’s latest: