Feeling nostalgic for summer? How to beat the back-to-work blues

• Published

The alarm wakes you with a shock, the summer holiday is over and it's time to face that inbox full of unread emails.

This time last week, life was very different. You enjoyed late nights, lazy mornings balancing family fun and you time.

Even if you enjoy your job, the transition from holiday to work can be hard, particularly in September as the days begin to shorten.

Here are some ways of making the transition a little bit easier.

Tick off small tasks

It can be tempting to launch straight into tackling the hardest task first.

But careers coach Sarah Robinson says it's better to "ease back in" by starting with small, manageable tasks and "quick wins".

"It's about trying to build momentum, because I think sometimes it can just feel overwhelming when you've got a massive inbox," she says.

Counsellor Susan Carr agrees. She says it isn't possible in every industry but where viable "be a bit kinder with your expectations of what you need to do on that first day back in the office."

That could mean spending the day going through emails rather than a full day of back-to-back meetings.

Tara Humphrey, a primary care leadership consultant, advocates keeping her out-of-office on for her first day back.

"It's about hiding, if you can, just to give yourself that bit of headspace."

She also says re-entry into work life can be made easier by a clearly-written out-of-office message, encouraging people to follow up when she is back in the office - that eases the stress of whether you have missed something important while on holiday.

There is an alternative. She recalls a colleague who would simply delete all the emails he had been sent during his holiday.

"He said, 'if people want me, they'll come back to me'."

Stay touristy - but at home

Carr says it is also worth remembering what was enjoyable on holiday and "whether there's a way of integrating that more into your everyday life".

While it may not be realistic to have a siesta every day, you could try cooking some Spanish food, she suggested.

She also recommends holding on to the curiosity we have when in a new place and trying to be a tourist in our own area.

"If we go away somewhere else... we might be looking at the architecture, visiting buildings, and I think - and I know I'm guilty of this in Manchester - we don't always appreciate what's on our doorstep."

Psychotherapist Dr Joy Conlon, who runs wellbeing coaching service Alive 365, agrees.

"Bring one restorative part of the holiday home with you. This might be an evening walk, eating without looking at a screen, reading before bed instead of being on a screen or just spending more time outdoors.

Reflect on your role

Rather than treating the symptoms, it may be worth looking at the root cause of the back-to-work blues.

Before, she was a counsellor, Carr worked as a solicitor.

"I was vaguely aware before I went on holiday that things weren't right and I was quite stressed," she says.

"I went away on holiday and then I came back and suddenly I was in floods of tears every day. It wasn't just a case of needing time to adjust, it was a sign I needed a rethink."

But how can you tell between a temporary nostalgia for long lie-ins and genuine unhappiness with your job?

"It probably sounds really obvious," Carr says, "but I suppose one of the signs of that is how long it goes on for."

"It's that length of time but also maybe the intensity of the feelings."

Lying on a sunbed, it can be easy to fantasise about quitting everything and retraining as a scuba diver instructor or yoga teacher, but Carr warns against a "knee-jerk reaction".

"It's about taking time and reflecting on how you might go about making a change."

Book your next holiday – and make it active

It is not just the holiday itself that makes them so enjoyable and beneficial, the anticipation of going also plays a key role, says Dr Mark Williamson, chief executive officer of Action for Happiness, a charity.

And what type of holiday or how long you go for can make a difference to the overall impact.

Williamson points to what he says is "genuinely surprising" research , externalwhich suggests physically active holidays may be better for wellbeing than simply lying by the pool.

"If you include some walking, cycling, swimming, exploring you're more likely to get back feeling refreshed," he adds.

Another factor to consider is the length of your next break, he says.

"Longer breaks give a bigger boost, but it seems to fade faster, partly because you return to a bigger mountain.

"There's some evidence that shorter but more regular breaks bring more wellbeing benefits. The refresh from five days away may feel not far off ten, but you can do it twice as often."

Related topics

• Published20 June

• Published9 February