I’m afraid to go back to work

“This is always a difficult period,” admits 36-year-old Elizaveta, a consultant at a cosmetics store. – I need an effort to get back into the working rhythm, and the accumulated cases are also waiting at home. Worth thinking about it, I already feel tired!”

Summer vacation is over, autumn is coming, it’s time to work and study. “But these circumstances alone are not enough to succumb to anxiety or become discouraged,” says clinical psychologist Natalya Osipova. Then perhaps the source of our depression is in ourselves?

I’m like everyone else. “Culturally, this season is associated with decline,” says psychoanalyst Alain Eril. Despondency is all around, and we are sad with everyone at the same time. We join the general mood without even asking ourselves questions. Well, this speaks to our ability to share the feelings of others, which can be considered a positive quality.

“But returning to work is not necessarily depressing, just as holidays are not always stress-free,” notes Natalya Osipova. “However, we are used to expecting much less pleasure from work than from leisure: this is a common prejudice.” But if we share it, then we unwittingly bring life into line with it.

I dream of living for my own pleasure. Nevertheless, autumn is the time when you can dive deep into your soul. “Resuming daily life, we must also experience the loss of freedom, that vacation when we, “released” to freedom, could live, guided only by the pleasure principle, according to Freud, ”explains Alain Eril.

In the summer we have the feeling that we can do whatever we like. But then the bell rings, and we are confronted with the reality principle, which requires the rejection of pleasure. Like a child who learns that his omnipotence is not unlimited, we are disappointed and frustrated by the return to the limitations that reality imposes.

I have a bad feeling. The stress is exacerbated by the mere thought that it is time for us to put on a tie or pumps with stilettos again. “We feel locked inside a social role, limited by our functions, and we don’t want to be there again,” says transactional analyst Isabelle Methenier.

We anticipate that it will be difficult for us, and when this happens, we say to ourselves: “Yes, this is what I was waiting for, that’s what I thought!” The expectation of trouble adds to the feeling of being unwell, and as a result, we have a lot of black thoughts and little energy. Because of the desire to justify premonitions, we plunge into self-sabotage.

What to do?

Act in the outside world

Melancholy makes us freeze, plunge into inactivity. And the lack of action leads to more despondency. Try to break this vicious circle. The reality principle does not exclude pleasure. Go to exhibitions, meet friends, laugh, dance, play sports, do what pleases you. Three other seasons are just as good for happiness as summer!

Stay alone with yourself

And what if you refuse to share the general opinion? Although autumn is a disturbing or sad time for many, there are also many who are inspired and invigorated by it. Create an environment for yourself that encourages creativity. Look around and ask yourself: what can I change in my environment to feel better?

Look inside yourself

It happens that the solution to problems is not outside, but inside. Give up for a while from dreams about the future and regrets about the past. Immerse yourself in the current moment and listen to your feelings, sensations and thoughts here and now: observe them without judging. Meditation will help with this.