Beat the back to work blues with a few simple tricks

Most South Africans are heading back to office tomorrow, as they wind down the festivities to start the 2023 work year.

While some are ready to get back to normal, there are a significant few who are dreading it. There could be a number of reasons for this.

According to positivepsychology.com, job satisfaction could be one of the leading contributing factors to the feeling of Monday morning dread.

The site defines job satisfaction as a set of favourable or unfavourable feelings and emotions with which employees view their work.

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If a person has been tolerating unfavourable conditions at work, they are likely doing this by exercising discipline and extreme patience. In order to do that, they have had to apply their mental muscle to do so.

This, in itself, is work. And the effort can be tiresome. The holidays are a reprieve from the mental exertion as they allow themselves to relax both mentally and physically from the strain. So, when the end of the festivities rolls around, and they realise they have to apply their mind to adopt the mindset to tolerate their unfavourable job conditions, that is when a case of the blues sets in.

How to combat the blues

Health Navigator – an institute based in New Zealand – suggests that one ease back into the work routine in order to prevent a complete and total mental breakdown or crash. Also, the thought that one does not have to shift from rest mode to beast mode in 24 hours helps to fight off the knots in one’s stomach.

One way to do this, the institute suggests, is to return midweek. With the weekend in sight, the idea of going back to work seems less daunting.

Get new stationery

Another way to feel more positive about going back to work is by getting organised.

The health experts also suggest a stationary shopping spree a few days before the official return to work, stocking up on cool pens or nifty devices that could help shift one’s mood from dread to happy anticipation.

Even a new outfit for the first day helps too.

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Plan things to do after work

We South Africans are lucky in the sense that back to work falls around the same time as the peak of summer, which means we have longer evenings to work with.

For those who live along coastlines, arranging to meet with friends after work to get ice-cream for a walk along the shorelines could help one feel like they were still on holiday.

For those more inland based, pizza dates with friends could have the same effect.

Draw your colleagues into a fun wager

A fun little wager never hurt the work environment.

If your office has a pool table, maybe organise a small-time championship during lunch breaks. An in-office yoga sesh with the colleagues might not be a bad idea either.

Considering how few workplaces really make the return to work an interesting event for their employees, it is really up to each individual to take it upon themselves to make the best of it.

If 2023 is your year to make it happen, perhaps a back-to-work treat is the order of the day for you, as you take control of the all-round morale at your work environment.