Yahoo Finance Post-holiday blues? Here are 5 tips to ease the transition back to work
A workplace expert shares her top tips to help you shift gears into work mode, without compromising your well-being.
If you’ve just enjoyed a relaxing holiday spending time with family and friends, returning back to work and the 9-to-5 grind may be the last thing you want to do.
Indeed’s workplace psychologist, Amanda Gordon, said it was all too common for people to feel anxious about going back to work after having a break.
“I’ve already had clients coming in here being very anxious,” Gordon told Yahoo Finance. “Ongoing clients who have worked really hard and then have had three weeks’ break and are feeling that they’ve enjoyed their time off and are anxious about going back.”
Do you have a story to share? Contact tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com
Part of this anxiety could be related to coming back into the structure of work, Gordon said, and the loss of flexibility the return to a day-to-day routine might bring.
“It’s about not having to get up at a certain time, not having to go to bed at a certain time, being able to eat more flexibly and spending more time with the people you love,” she said.
If you are one of the many people feeling the post-holiday slump, here are some things you can do to ease yourself back in and maintain your well-being.
RELATED
How to negotiate a pay rise for 2024: 'I knew my market value'
How to turn 13 days of annual leave into 35 days off in 2024
1. Get organised
If you’re still on holidays, Gordon recommends spending a few hours getting organised for your return. You can do this the night or the afternoon before you head back.
“Make sure you’ve got a wardrobe that’s going to do you for the week,” she said. “Make sure there is food in the house so you aren’t racing around after a busy day … make sure the kids are sorted out properly, so you can go back and be mindfully at work.”
That doesn’t mean checking your emails or getting stuck into work early, Gordon stressed. It’s more about ticking off those practical tasks.
2. Stick to a routine
Once you are back at work, set a routine for your day and stick to it - even if you aren’t heading into the office straight away.
“Get up at the same time every morning, even if you are working from home one day and working from the office another day and would have a spare hour because of the commute,” Gordon said.
“Get yourself active, as if you are going into the office, even on days you are working from home.”
3. Make time for yourself and your relationships
Make sure you are still setting aside time for yourself and to keep your relationships and connections going.
“Perhaps you can find time for a walk between work and ending the day, or find time for movement,” Gordon said.
“Make sure you continue to connect with people because, sometimes on holidays, we spend more time with our friends than we normally do. If you’ve been working on your relationship over the holidays, keep that work up and it’ll make you feel good and refreshed.”
4. Properly disconnect
Have a clear separation between when you are and aren’t at work and make sure you properly disconnect.
“When you come home at night, close your laptop. Or, if you are working from home, at the end of the day just close it down. No more having a sneak peak at 8:30pm,” Gordon said.
To help end your day, you might find it helpful to stop and reflect on what you have achieved that day and then create a to-do list for the next day. You could also reflect on your day on your commute home.
“If you are working from home, go and change your clothes,” Gordon said. “Have a shower straight after work and don’t wait until bedtime so that you can actually [clearly stop] work and go into recreational time.”
5. Keep up communication
If you are struggling to set boundaries between work and home, make sure you communicate clearly with your manager or boss.
“Be clear [about] your own expectations about what you are trying to achieve in the workplace and what you think is reasonable, then have a chat with your manager and find out whether you are aligned or whether you are very different,” Gordon told Yahoo Finance.
“People want to thrive at work and you’re not thriving if you don’t get any chance to turn off and [have] an opportunity to take a break and really not be at work.”
While you might be tempted to start planning your next holiday, Gordon recommended trying to get yourself into the rhythm of work for a few weeks first. If you feel like work is still too stressful and you need a distraction, then Gordon said it could be time to consider a job change.
Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, and subscribe to our free daily newsletter.
