Coping with the January blues? Then just know that you're far from alone. Back to work anxiety is very real, and never more so than after the Christmas break.
Not only are you coping with the aftermath of the festivities, but there’s the return to a normality that can suddenly look a little bleak.
The days are still very dark and cold. The nights are long and the mornings chilly and grey. You’re usually trying to embark on a diet, stop drinking or save money - sometimes all at once. You’re returning to work with the prospect of summer holidays still far on the horizon. You may be returning to an overflowing inbox, office politics or a job that simply doesn’t inspire you.
The back to work blues are a real struggle, and they can strike us all hard at this time of year, even if we normally love our jobs. So how do you cope with coming back to work in January? Determined not to let the winter negativity strike me down, I came up with a very simple five-point return to work action plan to ease me into my first day back.
1. Start off with some positive dialogue
This is a trick that works as well for the standard Sunday blues as it does for the return to work after the holidays.
Our internal dialogue - the way that we speak to ourselves - is absolutely crucial in shaping our emotional state. The words that we think and speak have a powerful role in shaping our perception of the way that things are going - but the good news is, while we may not have control about going back to work (bills to pay, after all, right?) we DO have control over how we frame it to ourselves.
If your alarm goes off on that first morning you’re due back at work, you open your eyes and you immediately start to focus on the worst - “Oh god, my email inbox is going to be exploding. Today is going to be manic. Starting work again after two weeks off is going to be horrific” - then you’re likely to enter your day in a bad mood. That starts creating a ripple effect and before you know, things are exactly as bad as you feared.
So take an immediate step to interrupt those thoughts and change the narrative. This can feel a little forced to begin with, but it's definitely a case of fake it until you make it. Eventually, the way you speak to yourself will become the reality around you.
If I’m really struggling to get going, I like to listen to a podcast full of affirmations to change my mindset. I started off my first day back with the Affirmation Pod podcast - specifically this session about ‘Success and Focus at Work’. I listened to it a couple of times first thing in the morning walking the dog and it helped rebalance my state of mind so that I was focused on the things I could control when I started my working day.
2. Light a scented candle while you work
A very simple tip, but for me a subtle game changer. If you work from home, consider lighting a scented candle or two while you work. Scent is a powerful mood enhancer, so filling your space with something that smells warm and welcoming can have a great effect in lifting you out of a negative mood. Something about lighting a scented candle feels luxurious and pampering.
Perhaps it's the associations we have with spas, boutique hotels, restaurants and relaxation, but the addition of one to my desk at home gives me an immediate boost and helps settling down to work feel like less of a chore.
Here in the UK, January can also be a time of dark mornings and grey skies, especially if you like to start early. Burning a candle just adds a sense of cosiness and a little extra light. I’ve usually received a few for presents at Christmas (or, y’know, just plain self-gifted. No shame!) so it feels like a little treat to light one too.
There are so many beautiful and affordable candles that mean you can feel boujie without spending a fortune too. I adore the Sweet Almond and Macaron, Velvety Rose and Opium Noir two wicks from Hotel Collection, which are under £5 each. Or this Vanilla Balsam candle from DW Home was today’s pick - warm, creamy and fresh for that snuggled up feeling while you clear down your inbox.
3. Try Hormone Balancing supplements
Hormones play far more of a role in our mood and actions than we like to acknowledge. I’m very interested in learning to work better with my own levels rather than fighting against them, and I’ve recently introduced a few new supplements to my daily routine.
One is this Hormone Balance supplement from MyVitamins. It contains Inositol, Vitamin B6, Magnesium Oxide and Co-Enzyme Q10 to help regulate hormone balance. I’ve found that they have a really positive effect on my anxiety levels. I feel much calmer and more able to cope with the jolt of going back to work when I’m using these.
As well as helping to stabilise my mood, I found my energy levels and appetite are much more steady. It's even possible that some of these are placebo effects, but I honestly don’t care if they are. Supplements can give a little extra calm back at a time that feels extra challenging and where we don’t have much left in the tank.
4. Prioritise like a ninja and time block your day
I know, I know. The thought of tackling that first big task when you return to work - perhaps even one left over from before the Christmas break, that you decided would be ‘January me’s problem’ is truly daunting.
For me, coming back to work in January means tackling the annual report - and that’s exactly as much fun as it sounds. Being faced with a task you’ve been procrastinating on, even if it's just dealing with a backlog of emails and requests from during your time off is never easy. So I’ve made sure to bring all of my best time management tricks to the table to help steer me through the choppy waters of the first week back to work.
The first half an hour my of day was dedicated to time blocking. That means combing through your to-do list, deciding what the main priorities are and breaking them down into smaller, more manageable steps.
Once you have those worked out, the secret sauce is to use your calendar. Allocate blocks of time to each of the smaller tasks you need to tackle in order to make a dent in those projects. Having a plan to follow instantly helps you to feel more in control and makes everything seem much more do-able - with a lot of coffee and a little luck.
Adding those items into the diary rather than keeping them just on a to-do list gives you accountability and ensures that you have the time you need set aside. Rather than giving in to the temptation of following email white rabbits down their various holes, take back the power. Set a time to check email and add any incoming tasks to your list but let that calendar structure your day. That way you aren’t just treading water - you are making progress on the big-ticket items. That in turn creates a positive momentum that will help you get going again after time off.
5. Get out into the fresh air at lunchtime
The temptation to huddle indoors away from the cold, wet weather is totally real. There’s a reason lots of animals hibernate through the winter, after all! In the working world, we don’t have that luxury. And getting outside part way through your day has a massive impact on your mental health, especially during January.
Daylight is limited and we can suffer a slump in Vitamin D. If you work mainly from home, it can be so easy to give in to the siren call of the laptop and not really move all day. But motion creates emotion. You can literally change your mental state through movement. We don’t all have to be out running every day, but taking half an hour away from your desk at lunch to walk outside is critical.
After all, a good employee or business owner knows that taking care of their own health means they can show up and perform at their best - it’s vital.
Again, add your daily walk to your calendar and honour it like any other appointment. Don’t be tempted to push it aside if you get busy - I find I usually get a lot more done once I’m refreshed from a short break away from my screen anyway. On my first week back, even though it's grey, rainy and cold outside, I’ve made sure to venture out, perhaps even rewarding myself with a coffee from my favourite local cafe as an additional lure!
Easing the transition back to work after the Christmas break can be done, with a few very simple steps. Let’s find the joy in January and look after ourselves this winter season and beyond.
0 comments