Vital Signs: beat the September back to work blues
Traditionally it is January that we associate with low moods and "the blues", as the fun of Christmas fades and a long year of work stretches out ahead of us.
But more and more people are experiencing post-summer blues, when workers returning from holidays ask themselves how they will get through the grey months ahead without another break until Christmas. The August Bank Holiday is usually the trigger point.
There is nothing that medical about this. Unlike winter blues and seasonal affective disorder (sad), which is linked to shorter daylight hours and can be treated by "topping up" with light, no such correlation has been found for post-summer blues, which are more a reaction to circumstance - holiday fun being over and work starting again.
One problem is having jobs we don't enjoy. A survey of workers around the world found the British are particularly unhappy in their jobs, with two-thirds reporting that they dreaded Monday mornings. Most returning employees say their stress levels are back to pre-holiday highs within a week.
The good news is there are steps you can take to make landing back in the UK a little less bumpy.
Try to leave a few extra days at the end of your break to spend at home readjusting. Rushing straight back to work is bound to make you resentful. A day or two to recover from travelling and to get organised before you return can make all the difference. Another small but no less important tip is to unpack immediately. Don't leave a sad, grubby, half-unpacked suitcase lying in the corner of the bedroom for a week.
If you took up an activity like swimming on your hols, don't just let it drop as soon as you get back. Try to incorporate it into your working week to help you feel that work doesn't have to spoil all aspects of holiday fun.
Finally, get away from the idea that going on holiday is "slacking off" and leaving colleagues in the lurch. Holidays are important: they bring numerous health benefits, including helping to reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol, repair ragged relationships and get you out of damaging and negative lifestyle ruts. Most importantly, you deserve them.
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