Coming This Summer: The Opposite of Deja Vu

by Fayeruz Regan 06.2026

Do you ever have that feeling, when you return from a vacation, that your home feels surreal? On the surface, everything looks the same, but it's tinged with an eeriness?

There's a word for it: jamais vu. It's the opposite of deja vu. Whereas in deja vu you experience something new but it somehow feels familiar, jamais vu has you standing in front of the same living room you've spent countless hours in, and yet you feel like you are seeing it for the first time.

Adding to the dream-like state is the disconnect between who you were on vacation and who you are back home. Routines, obligations, and choices dictate day-to-day life, and it's hard not to harden a little after a nice break. But Day-Drinking Barb is just as authentic as School Principal Barb – she simply adapts to her environments.

When we're away from home, we adapt to foreign surroundings and return to an “archived” version of our lives. Memories increasingly become “archived” in your brain while you're away. The glitch is scientific: There's a brief miscommunication between your hippocampus (which stores memory) and your temporal lobes (which store recognition). While logic tells you that you are standing in your living room, you feel like you're looking at a set.

This is called sensory lag. Once back home, the hippocampus and temporal lobes get back in sync, and the memory of your old life scoots back into reality. As the sensory lag fades away, you feel less like you’re examining your life from a third-person perspective and get back into the swing of things.

Summer is here, and those lucky enough to get out of town for a bit may experience jamais vu. Not that it's unpleasant. I've always been fascinated by it. But the feeling of disconnection can also put you in a purgatory, where you can develop the post-vacation blues. Much like the “Sunday scaries,” you waste what precious time you have left by stressing about what's to come. I'm guilty of this as well, though let's be real: The guilt should lie with our tormentors at work.

There's no better cure for staving off the post-vacation blues than having a life that's pleasant to return to. I can't help you with that, but I do have some tricks to help quicken up the sensory lag, and stop jamais vu from morphing into the post-vacation blues.

Bon voyage, jamais vu!

First, unpack. Keeping your suitcase open in your room doesn't plant you firmly in the present. Clean it out and put it away. Coming back to a tidy home is imperative for a sense of peace.

Second, you likely don't have any fresh food. Restocking is a way to nurture your home and your body. Though in my opinion, grocery shopping can be a jarring chore after having all my meals served to me. Just the thought of endless aisles under fluorescent lighting while Hoobastank plays in the background is enough to make me live off whatever's left in the cupboard. Like it's wartime.

Richmond has many Sunday farmers markets north of the James, and the sunny environment can ease you back into daily life. Smart travelers use Sundays as a buffer, prepping for the upcoming week. These Sunday markets can help you fall back in love with the town you were desperately scrambling from just a week prior.

Lakeside Farmers Market – This year-round market also features an indoor pavilion and offerings that soar past local produce. Artists and makers sell handmade goods, from jewelry and knits to baked bread and pies.

Carytown Farmer's Market – At City Stadium, you can enjoy over 50 vendors while also listening to live music and sipping mimosas, made on site.

Shalom Farms Mobile Market – From June to November, this Northside market sells local produce. They also have a vast pumpkin collection in the fall.

So get on with it. Cuddle with the pet who missed you. Take a walk around your neighborhood. Do uber-Richmond things, like ordering the spaghetti at Joe's Inn, and seeing the Mighty Wurlitzer organ pre-game before a film at The Byrd. Throw open the windows to usher in fresh air and birdsong. And no matter what, try holding on to a slice of that very real vacation version of yourself. Day-Drinking Barb is still in there somewhere!