Beat the back to work blues
The post holiday glow is beginning to fade. You’ve just sat at your desk, logged into your computer and your email inbox
is at bursting point. In the background you can hear the familiar ring of your phone…. the festive holiday seems like a
distant memory already. Judi Clements, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation says:
“It’s not unusual to get a case of back to work blues in the New Year. People are so busy over the festive season that
often they don’t get a proper chance to recharge their batteries.
“Many of us get back to our desks and dive straight into our work without easing ourselves into it. This approach can
soon leave us feeling exhausted and stressed.” Back to work blues can evolve in many forms, some people feel
disorientated and have a go slow attitude. Others have little interest in their work and focus themselves on planning
their next holiday. On top of that you may feel irritable, find yourself in a bad mood or even suffer with headaches.
Having your next holiday planned before you go back to work is a good idea according to Judy Montgomery, Manager of
Working Well, a Mental Health Foundation programme that aims to help create mentally healthy workplaces: “Having your
next holiday or annual leave planned can help to alleviate the stress of being back at work. Quite often it gives people
an incentive to be back at work, it helps people to think positively and helps to reduce the current feelings of work
pressure.”
The Mental Health Foundation has the following tips to reduce back to work blues: Create a harmonious work environment –
Organise your workspace; have some flowers or photos of friends and family on your desk. Set a favourite picture as your
screen saver. Think about your personal growth – Do you have any skills that you would like to develop further? Why not
enrol in a learning course this year. It doesn’t even have to be work related! Review your job – Is it still fulfilling
your needs and does it still challenge you? Ask your manager for a job review. Speak about your wants and needs for the
role. Discuss any areas of work you are finding difficult.
Take time out – Make sure you have at least 15 minutes a day to yourself. Go for a short walk or read a bit of a good
book. Get organised – Get up earlier so you don’t have to rush; set aside time for processing email; break large
projects into small steps. After work activities – Arrange sporting or social activities with friends and family so you
have something to look forward to in the evenings or at weekends. Look after yourself – get more sleep, take part in
more physical activity and eat better this year. It will help you to think more clearly and to feel less stressed and
more relaxed.
While it’s not unusual to feel blue when you first get back to work, it’s not usual for this feeling to continue. If you
do continue to feel this way for more than two weeks and you constantly feel down and tearful for no apparent reason,
please speak to someone you trust or see your GP for help. You can also phone the following numbers for advice:
Lifeline on 0800 543 354
The depression support line on 0800 111 757 For further information on depression see: www.depression.org.nz or
www.mentalhealth.org.nz
ENDS