How To Emotionally Cope With Returning To Work After The Holidays

For many people, the end of the holidays is a source of discomfort that goes beyond the fact of not having much free time for several days in a row.

In many cases, what generates the most anguish or restlessness is the need to readjust to day-to-day life at work; Having to quickly adapt to the demands of the work day can overwhelm us emotionally if a series of circumstances occur. In fact, there has been talk of a phenomenon called post-vacation depression which, although it is not a psychological disorder nor is it comparable to major depression, it reflects the state of decay and general low mood that occurs in some workers when they return. to work after their vacation break.

In this article you will find a summary of the main tips that you should take into account so that returning to the work context is more bearable and does not become excessively difficult.

Why is returning to work difficult for us emotionally?

As we have anticipated, the fundamental factor to understand that “slump” that sometimes occurs when we return to work after vacation is the contrast between experiences and habits, the strong difference between what we did on our days off and what we do. when we are immersed in work dynamics.

We must not forget that Working involves much more than carrying out a series of specific actions during a work day ahead of us. ; Normally, it also involves adopting a different mentality in which we must plan what we will do during the month or week, and adjust our expectations to certain productivity objectives, the prevention of possible inconveniences, etc.

In other words, the difference between being on vacation and being on vacation has profound psychological implications, and If our mind does not “connect” with the actions we must perform during the day, friction arises that produces a lot of discomfort. In fact, it is relatively common for this to happen during the first days back to work, given that we still function with the psychological inertias that we have internalized during the holidays.

For example, there is nothing wrong in itself with recalling memories of the days we spent traveling and it may even be pleasant, but if we use it during our workday as a way to escape from work, we will not only perform less (which will lead to objective problems due to lack of productivity) but we will also feel worse, since we will be unable to focus and feel motivated to carry out our tasks.

In this way, emotional readjustment consists of adequately moving through that step from the habits and memories associated with actions, to the concentration, time management and self-motivation strategies necessary to perform at work in the most satisfactory way possible.

5 tips to psychologically cope with returning to work after the holidays

Keep these key ideas in mind to best adapt to returning to work.

1. Before your first day back at work, readjust your sleep schedule

Much of what we feel has to do with our level of activation at a given moment. And this depends on circadian rhythms, linked to our biological clock that regulates the alternation between sleep and wakefulness. If your work schedule does not coincide with your vacation schedule, it is normal for you to feel bad and not concentrate or be able to find your role as a professional satisfactory.

Therefore, at least two days before returning to work, make sure to normalize your sleep schedule and start going to bed at a similar time to what you will do when you work. If you don’t do it, you will not only go to work sleepy, but your mood will also drop and you will be a person more prone to stress and with a worse ability to concentrate.

2. Create a clear sequence of activities

To make it easier for you to “connect” with work, make sure you are very clear at all times about what the sequence of tasks ahead of you should be as part of your responsibilities.

If you do not plan this order of tasks to be carried out in advance, you will surely waste too much time doubting and feeling sorry for yourself for not having energy or motivation. to do anything. Keep in mind that clearly visualizing the next short-term goal that you will achieve will be a motivating element that will “pull you” and prevent you from falling into those experiences of anguish and indecision.

To organize the tasks that you will perform during the day, a useful way to achieve this is to organize them first by urgency, and then by simplicity and brevity of those tasks. Once these two lists are made, merge them so that the most priority tasks are the most urgent and simplest. Once you have started with the easiest thing to do, you will have much more motivation and it will cost you much less to continue with the rest of the responsibilities.

3. Make sure you incorporate enough rest moments into your day

If you do not incorporate moments of rest into your work day, you will end up losing a lot of time due to pure exhaustion, resting in an improvised and inefficient way. It is better to add many short breaks than not to do so and rest anyway but outside your schedule.

4. Don’t neglect healthy eating routines

If you don’t eat well, it will be the most normal thing in the world that you do not have physical or mental energy to face the challenge of returning to work. Keep this in mind, as it is possible that when you leave your vacation behind, you will come across many more limitations when choosing when and what to eat.

5. Don’t let work absorb all your free time

Finally, don’t let the end of vacation mean the end of your free time, because That will wear you down psychologically very quickly. Make sure you still have several hours a week to dedicate to yourself and what you like beyond paid work and domestic and family responsibilities.

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