How to emotionally cope with the return to work after the vacations

Some tips to avoid being emotionally overwhelmed by the return to work.

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

In more than a few cases, what generates more distress or uneasiness is the need to readapt to the daily routine at work; having to adapt quickly to the demands of the working day can become emotionally overwhelming if a series of circumstances arise. In fact, there is even talk of a phenomenon called post-holiday depression which, although not a psychological disorder and not comparable to major depression, embodies the state of decay and general low mood that occurs in some workers when they return to work after their holiday break.

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

Why does the return to work become emotionally uphill for us?

As we have advanced, the fundamental factor to understand that "down" that sometimes occurs when we return to work after the vacations is the contrast between experiences and habits, the strong difference between what we did in our days off and what we do when we are immersed in the dynamics of work.

We must not forget that work involves much more than performing a series of specific actions during the workday ahead of us.It also usually involves adopting a different mindset in which we must plan what we will do during the month or week, and adjust our expectations to certain productivity goals, to the prevention of possible inconveniences, and so on.

In other words, the difference between being on vacation and not being on vacation has profound psychological implications, and if our mind does not "connect" with the actions we have to perform during the day, a 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, since we still function with the psychological inertias we have internalized during our vacations.

For example, there is nothing wrong with evoking memories of the days we have spent while traveling and it can even be pleasant, but if we use it during our working day as a way to escape from work, we will not only perform less well (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 perform our tasks.

Thus, emotional readjustment consists of adequately moving from 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 face the return to work after the vacations

Keep these key ideas in mind to best adapt to your return to work.

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

Much of how we feel has to do with our level of arousal at any given time.. 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 be able to concentrate or find your role as a professional satisfactory.

So, at least two days before you return to work, make sure you normalize your sleep schedule and start going to bed at a similar time as you will when you go to work. If you don't, you will not only go to work sleepy, but your mood will also drop and you will be more prone to stress and less able to concentrate.

2. Create a clear sequence of activities

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

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

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

3. Make sure you incorporate enough breaks into your workday

If you don't incorporate breaks into your workday, you will end up wasting a lot of time through sheer exhaustion, you will end up wasting a lot of time through sheer exhaustion, resting in an improvised and inefficient manner.. It is better to add many short breaks than not to do it at all and take a break but not on your schedule.

4. Do not neglect healthy eating routines.

If you don't eat well, it will be the most normal thing in the world you won't have the physical and mental energy to face the challenge of returning to work.. Keep this in mind, because it is possible that when you leave your vacation behind, you will be faced with many more limitations in choosing when and what to eat.

5. Do not let work absorb all your free time.

Finally, do not let the end of the vacations mean the end of your free time, because it will wear you down psychologically. it will wear you down psychologically very quickly.. Make sure you still have several hours a week to dedicate to you and what you like beyond paid work and domestic and family responsibilities.

Interested in getting professional help to improve your well-being?

If you are looking for psychotherapy services, we invite you to contact our team of professionals.

At Vibra Wellness we offer individualized psychological therapy, couples therapy, psychiatric support, nutrition and dietetics services, physiotherapy, and meditation, yoga and pilates classes.

You will find us at our center located in San Blas-Canillejas, and we also offer online sessions.