During the summer many of us have enjoyed some time off. Be it a trip abroad, a festival weekend or a week relaxing at home, taking a break is vital.
Now, for most people, they have returned to work. Undoubtedly, this can be a tricky time, re-establishing a work ethic, a routine, and opening ourselves to the stresses associated with the workplace.
Considering this, it is unsurprising that returning to work can be difficult and impact our mental health. But what impact does it really have, and what can we do to make this transition easier?
How does returning to work impact our mental health?
Any period of transitioning or adjusting can cause stress and impact our mental wellbeing. Of course, the impact can depend on initial mental health issues and how long a person has been off work. Here are some examples of how returning to work relates to mental health:
- Self esteem and self-efficacy issues. Commonly relates to whether or not a person feels they are capable of doing their job to a good standard. If off work for an extended amount of time, this can be very relevant.
- Social anxiety. Especially if you haven’t seen them in a while, socialising and mixing with colleagues can be quite stressful. This is particularly the case of course for those starting a new job and becoming the new member of a team.
- Feeling a bit low when the holidays are over. I think we all have felt a slight sadness or low mood following a wonderful holiday, and having to go back to work. This is completely normal. However, if this feeling persists for several weeks, it may mean something else is going on, and further help is needed.
What can we do before going on leave?
There are ways this transition can be made less daunting, ready for when you do return to work. Likewise, it is important to not have to worry about work whilst away from your desk. So here are some tips to try before having time off. Tip: if you’ve already taken your time off, use the list below to reflect on whether you did these things, and what you could do differently next time.
- Before leaving, ensure your workplace is tidy. Returning to a messy workspace is disheartening and gives you more things to do on your first day back! If you work from home, and are having a staycation, consider putting away laptops and folders, so you are not reminded of work.
- ‘Out of office’ email. This shows when you are uncontactable and avoids any confusions regarding a lack of response.
- Put the dates you are away in your work calendar. If your calendar is shared with others, this can be particularly important. It helps make it clear to to others when you are reachable, when conversations need to be left for when you are back, and when tasks need to be actioned without you (if you’re away for a longer period).
- Mute emails and work notifications. Setting these boundaries between you and work is important to maintain a healthy work relationship and ethic.
- Plan your first day as a catch up day. Not everyone has the luxury of this, but if you have control over your own diary, do try to let your first day at work be a catch up day, with space to check emails without lots of meetings.
What can we do when going back to work?
- Ease into returning. Spend a day getting back into the swing of things, catching up with colleagues, refamiliarise yourself with any projects. Avoid giving yourself a long list of things to do on your first days back, even though it is tempting – instead, try to pencil these into your diary for later in the week.
- Compartmentalise time to do certain things. Going into the first week/couple of days with a plan can help. Designate time for tasks, and start with simplest first. E.g. go through emails, refamiliarise with your calendar.
- Communicate with either colleagues or your boss. If you are really struggling with your mental health or to catch up, discuss this with your supervisor or HR team. Sometimes just chatting to colleagues about how you feel being back can help you feel better and make them feel better too!
What else can we do to stay well?
- Mentally and emotionally go easy on yourself. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Regularly remind yourself it is the first few days back, and you can’t do everything in one go. In this case, positive self-talk is really important. (e.g. ‘I’ll get used to the routine soon.’, ‘I’ve gone through all my emails which is a great start.’).
- Take time to rest and relax. Whilst you’ll want to be as productive as possible in your work time, don’t be afraid to rest in the evenings if you find your days a little draining.
- Getting a balance of activities. Aim for a balance of activities that give you a sense of closeness to other people, achievement and enjoyment, as this really helps our mood. Some activities will give you several of these factors, whereas others may only give you one. That’s ok, but get a nice spread across your day or week.
- Eat and sleep well. It goes without saying that a good night’s sleep, and a good diet, can make a huge difference to our mood. Top tip: aim to eat your main meals at similar times, and go to bed and wake up at similar times each day too – this helps our circadian rhythm, which in turn helps our mood.
How can Brighter Life Therapy help?
Sometimes techniques are not quite enough, and professional interventions are needed instead. We find this is particularly true for those already struggling with their mental health. For example, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and psychotherapy are common ways to tackle these issues with professional help. Brighter Life Therapy provides fast access to CBT and counselling treatment, which you can read about here. Get in touch with us below if you’d like some 1:1 help:
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