10 Stress Free Ways To Avoid Dreading Going Back To Work After Vacation
As is fitting for the end of summer, many of us are feeling dread as we think about going to work (or school) after vacation. Whether this was holiday travel, a long vacation, or simply time away from school, the first days settling back into a routine after vacation can be the most challenging. Don’t let this post vacation depression stop you from being your most productive self, however. We’re giving you ten stress free ways to get your daily routine back in order as you’re going back to work.
Our 10 tips to Stop Anxiety About The First Day Back at Work After Vacation
Don’t Overwhelm Yourself
Let’s start with the simplest item on the list first. Take it slow.
What does slow mean? It means prioritizing the items that are require your most immediate attention. That feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach often comes from anticipating the first day back at work, complete with a mess of emails and responsibilities. If you find that your upcoming workload is overwhelming or returning to the office is causing anxiety, breaking it down into smaller pieces could be the key to success.
This is also the perfect time to practice giving yourself grace. No one will (or should!) expect you to be able to finish every project, email, and task on the first day back to work or school from vacation.
Create a To-Do List
Keep the productivity train moving. Make a list, starting with the items that require the least amount of time first. Does that task take less than five minutes? Start with these items and check the box on your list.
Not only does it make you feel productive to complete tasks, but it helps prevent you from forgetting about easy tasks or getting delayed by larger projects. Plus, creating a to-do list is necessary for mental health, as it triggers a positive psychological purpose in our brain to organize and sort, thus limiting anxiety.
Create an Email Game Plan
Full inboxes are the thing of nightmares. Don’t try to tackle all of the emails at once. Instead, set aside a designated time limit to batch through emails.
Give yourself 10-15 minutes at a time to go through emails and then switch over to a new task. Not only will it prevent mental fatigue and anxiety, it will prevent you from getting sidetracked from a task that you thought would only take 20 minutes.
Get Back Into Your Routine ASAP
The first way to feel like yourself again? Get back into that daily routine. Vacation tends to completely throw us off track when it comes to our normal nutrition, fitness, and daily patterns. If you are a frequent meal prep-er, prioritize making your normal weekly meals. If you frequently work out in the morning, set that alarm and hit the gym like usual. While relaxing on vacation is what we all desire and need, allowing that easy going vibe to linger too long makes Monday seem so much scarier.
““It’s important to note that you shouldn’t punish yourself for the time spent away on vacation. Time off is important for our mental health and well being, so it’s critical to not to have a negative “catch up” mindset as you head back into your routine.””
It’s important to note that you shouldn’t punish yourself for the time spent away on vacation. Time off is important for our mental health and well being, so it’s critical to not to have a negative “catch up” mindset as you head back into your routine. Switch your mindset from “I have to get back into my routine” to “I want to get back into my routine.” You’ll be amazed at how much better you will feel and how you may actually look forward to that early morning alarm.
Drink Lots of Water and Increase Your Green Food Intake
Travel, especially on airplanes, has a unique ability to cause dehydration. This dehydration not only wrecks havoc on your skin, but is one of the leading reasons why people become sick while traveling. Take this first week back to focus on drinking enough water. Set a goal of drinking half your body weight in ounces each day.
Vacation also usually means you are eating out more often than normal. Typical restaurant meals can be lacking in whole foods and leafy green vegetables. While we’re not suggesting that you eat a salad all day every day, make it a priority to include more servings of vegetables with each meal. High fiber content not only leaves you feeling fuller, it’s a great way to recalibrate your gut health after a vacation.
Buy Groceries As Soon As You Return Home
What better way to get your nutrition back on track than getting groceries as soon as you get home? Stocking the fridge with fresh fruits and vegetables (many of which might have spoiled when you were gone) is a great way to make healthy food choices readily available. Fresh staples is also an easy way to make sure that you make the time to meal prep and be prepared for the upcoming week. Many local grocery stores—and even larger retailers such as Target and Walmart—now offer curbside pickup or delivery.
Try this: Order your groceries when you board your flight home to be ready as soon as you return home.
Unpack Immediately
Another source of unnecessary stress? That full suitcase of dirty clothes glaring menacingly at you from the corner. Clutter can play a negative role in mental health, so it’s best if you unload that suitcase as soon as possible. Besides, our favorite clothes are usually the ones we take with us on trips. Wouldn’t you want them clean?
Prioritize Sleep
It can feel like you’re stepping into a never ending to-do list as soon as you arrive home and prepare for the first day back at work. You might find that you want to stay up later to get it all done. But being ready for a return to work after an extended vacation is just as much about being well-rested as it is being prepared.
We should be all striving to hit that full eight hours of sleep every night to receive the full benefits of our nightly rest. Feeling extra fatigued after your vacation? This is the time that our immune system is the weakest (especially after being exposed to airplane germs!) so it is crucial to get those zzz’s when you can.
Get in a Workout
We mentioned getting back into your routine as soon as possible and that includes your workouts. Repeat after me: I do not have to workout because I was on vacation.
Sure, a workout burns calories, but exercising can also leave you feeling energized and ready to take on the day. If working out gives you a boost of endorphins, consider getting to the gym early on that first day back to fight any incoming work stress.
Consider Returning One Day Earlier (gasp!)
We left the least popular one for last, but consider this. If you schedule your vacation return on Saturday, instead of Sunday, you give yourself one extra day before going to work. This allows you to feel less anxiety about the upcoming week, allows you to meal prep, clean, fall back into your routine, or any of the other items listed above. The end result is feeling like you can start the week on a clean slate and not rushing into Monday feeling disorganized and stressed.
Sure, it might sound less fun, but if it helps your mental health, isn’t it worth it?
