On your first day at work, can’t force yourself to get into a work rhythm? Several ways to solve the problem.
You are in the office, at your desk, in ten minutes you have a business meeting, but you completely forgot about it – instead of work, you indulge in pleasant memories of how you celebrated the New Year with friends at a ski resort … Your dreams are finally interrupted by an angry the voice of a boss or colleague.
You’re not alone—although psychologists don’t have a special name for post-holiday syndrome, and it doesn’t appear on the official register of mental illness either, most of us are familiar with the characteristic condition on the first working day of the year: it can be called “post-holiday blues” or “post-holiday hangovers.”
“After 10-14 holidays, this is a natural reaction of the body,” says psychotherapist Angelos Heleris. “We are temporarily out of our usual shores: overeating, drinking too much alcohol, not sleeping enough – all this creates favorable conditions for physical and emotional collapse, a crisis after the holidays.”
Seasonal depression is especially acute for those who, after a vacation on a sunny beach, returned home, where the temperature is below zero.
An unusual load on the body, combined with a sharp contrast – you just had fun and indulged in festive idleness, and now you are sitting at your desk again, projects are waiting for you, and you have to answer a million work letters … It is not surprising that the mood leaves much to be desired. According to experts, this state can last a week or two.
“For many, the holiday season is like a long-awaited dream come true, but, unfortunately, it is quickly fading,” says Heleris. “During the transitional period of returning to work after the holidays, we experience a sense of loss – which is why we all usually feel sad.”
If the New Year holidays didn’t live up to expectations, returning to work can also be stressful. “We are seeing our expectations rise as the holidays approach,” says psychotherapist Randy Hillard. “We hope that cherished dreams will magically come true, but the satisfaction from the holidays is never complete, even if in general a person has a good rest.”
This contributes to a gloomy mood and depression. Immediately after the holidays, experts note more calls to the helpline, more murders and suicides, and even letters with a question to a psychologist – online or in print magazines – have a pronounced depressive tone.
Winter only intensifies the general storm of gloominess. It’s still getting dark early, and it’s cold or rainy in most parts of the world. Seasonal depression is especially acute for those who, after a vacation on a sunny beach, returned home, where the temperature is below zero.
So what do you do to get your energy back?
1. “In the first two working weeks of the year, treat others, whether they are colleagues or family members, carefully, make allowance for their words and actions, as if they were not themselves,” advises Randy Hillard.
2. Make the transition from holidays to work as easy as possible – remember, if you jump into icy water from a running start, you can get a heart attack. Smoothly return to a familiar routine – set small goals for yourself so that achieving them brings joy and strengthens self-esteem. “Don’t plan for an unbearable amount of work and try to get everything done in 24 hours,” warns Angelos Heleris.
3. Don’t dwell on the feeling of loss. Yes, you had a lot of fun, but sooner or later the holidays are replaced by working days, but after them the holidays will come again – you will still have the opportunity to relax. Resist feeling sorry for yourself. It is important to cheer yourself up and stay optimistic. Look for something that immediately lifts your spirits.
4. Take advantage of the long break to start new healthy habits when you get back to work. For example, you can make a promise to yourself to get up from the table every hour for a five-minute warm-up or to say hello to unfamiliar colleagues in the hallways.
5. Think about what you enjoyed most about the last vacation and bring a little bit of the holiday into your work. For example, if fate brought you together with a friend or relative during the holidays, from whom you got great pleasure, try to find 15 minutes in your schedule to meet and drink coffee together.
6. Be sure to keep in touch with people, actively communicate. People in a gloomy dreary mood tend to withdraw into themselves. “Force yourself to communicate, even if you don’t feel like it,” insists Randy Hillard. – Communication helps to avoid loneliness, sadness and restlessness. “Prescribe” yourself an evening with relatives or friends in the coming weeks. But, of course, you don’t need to repeat the holiday scenario literally, that is, overdo it with food and alcohol.”
7. Remind yourself often: yes, the holidays are over, but I can have fun more than once, and very soon.