If you’re going back to work today, how does that make you feel?
- Crabby?
- Anxious?
- Groggy?
- Can’t concentrate??
- Or just too exhausted to tackle the pile on your desk?
If you’re happy and eager to get back to work. Stop here. Get busy. Don’t waste your time.
But if you’re like most of us, post holiday blues is a fact of life. So keep reading. This could be your survival guide for turning your traumatic first days at work into triumphant productivity.
Between jobs? Take notes. This could be a great way to bridge the gap and create an action plan for the New Year.
Step 1 to Beat Holiday Blues
Welcome routine as your very best friend
- Resume regular sleep patterns:
Everyone knows that the best ammunition for being alert through the day is a good night’s sleep. We just feel better and handle the challenges of the day easier. It’s also easier to get to sleep if you do it the same time every day. Set the alarm for 8 hours later, and you’ve taken the first step to crush the post-holiday blues
- Resume your regular eating schedule and make healthy changes.
Now that the holiday overindulgence is over, you can give your body the rest it so desperately needs. In fact, that grogginess you feel could be a sugar hangover from all those holiday cookies, candies and cocktails. If you still have goodies left-over and can’t bear to waste them, taper off to ward off post-indulgence remorse…that “party’s over” feeling.
- Get back to exercise.
If this wasn’t part of your regular schedule, make it so. Exercise is the best way to energize and wake yourself up so you can tackle that big to-do pile.
Step 2 in the Holiday Blues Survival Guide
Tackle the to-do pile
The very best way to get rid of post-holiday work anxiety is “just do it.”
- First of all re-visit what you had left over before the holiday. Is it still a priority? Have new priorities emerged while you were away.
- Recheck that list then get started.
- Don’t lose sleep over it, get it done and feel better fast.
Step 3 to Survive Holiday Blues
Nurture workplace relationships
- Share the load.
Are you in the enviable place where you can delegate? First of all, remember everyone is coming back from the holidays. Everyone has a pile of work to do. Be kind and understanding to your fellow-workers and/or employees. But open your mind to sharing the load and the glory with someone else, who may have the skills to move your projects along more easily.
- Take time with colleagues.
If your workplace rules allow it, share your holiday adventures around the water cooler. Laugh at the funny things the kids did and tell the great new jokes you heard. If you like your job, probably a big part of it is the people you work with. Re-establish bonds and energize your workday with a boost of endorphins. Our bodies actually get a boost of feel-good hormones after interaction with friends and spontaneous laughter.
Step 4 in Overcoming Holiday Blues
Reward yourself.
Great job! When that first stack of to-do’s is done, pat yourself on the back. Choose something you really like to do that doesn’t cost much in time, effort or calories. Maybe a massage. A winter pedicure. An hour to read that book you started. You know what you enjoy. Choose some activity to congratulate yourself for a job well done.
You’re in control, back on schedule and ready to tackle the next challenge.
Nancy D. O’Reilly, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist, researcher, and founder of the online resource WomenSpeak.com, named one of the 100 Best Empowerment Blogs for Women. She has devoted her career to educating, motivating and empowering women. Dr. O’Reilly has a large extended family that has experienced the usual mix of life’s changes.