Beat the post holiday blues

September’s a great month to… go back to work, calmly.

Dreading going back to work again after the long, hot summer? Beat the post-holiday blues and learn to love your desk again with these tips from life coach Emily Hodge.

There's nothing like the big autumn return to work to make you wish you’d quit your job to teach yoga in Ibiza. If you’ve spent the summer nestled in a warm cocoon of holidays and fun family times, the thought of piles of paperwork and an overflowing inbox can fill you with dread.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to head back to your desk with a sense of zen-like calm instead? And you can. September’s a great month to get your career back on track, especially if you give yourself the time to focus on what you really want out of your job.

So to help you return to your desk minus the sense of impending doom, we’ve enlisted the help of life coach Emily Hodge. With 20 years experience supporting people’s minds, health and wellbeing, her top tips will give you the attitude you need to beat the post-holiday blues and find fulfilment at work. Over to Emily...

Just because we’re no longer at school ourselves, it doesn’t mean we’re not affected by the big September return. After all, we experience it through our children, our tanned work colleagues coming back to their desks, or we may just notice it in the way our own business changes with the seasons. If you’re dreading knuckling back down again after the holidays, here are five ways to manage your return with focus and calm. And who knows? You may be able to keep the holiday feeling going all autumn long.

Make September a fresh start

Whether you’re feeling rested or run-ragged from the summer, jump on the back-to-school bandwagon and imagine you’re starting afresh this September. What would it take to make your old job feel new again? Whether it’s smart new work clothes, a pristine notebook or just a plant for your desk, little things can make a big difference to your state of mind.

If time allows, take a few days to look at the bigger picture. What do you want out of your working life? In other words, work on your work or business rather than in it. Create space in your diary for thinking time and adequate breaks, and schedule time for exploring different types of creative work. That way you’ll head back into your projects buzzing with enthusiasm and excitement.

Overestimate the size of your inbox

If you overestimate how long it takes to go through your emails, you’ll feel less rushed. By giving yourself more time than you think you need, you may even get to take the action they require (or at the very least, you’ll be able to add those actions to your to-do list). This is a great strategy for your September return but why not make it a weekly habit? You’ll be amazed at what it does for your sense of control at work.

Refresh your focus

Brand new terms at school are a great time for a new start. But that back-to-school feeling can also help you renew your focus at work. What do you need to let go of that’s holding you back? What’s stopping you being as creative, excited and focused as you really want to be? Discovering your blocks is the first step towards letting them go and making room for the things that bring you closer to your aims and ambitions.

Reclaim your aims

And on that note, what aims are still working for you? How do you want to live? Do you want to build a business? Remind yourself of what you really want out of life and ask what you’ll need to do to achieve it. It takes confidence to drop an aim that isn’t right, to pick one up that’s really true for you or to adapt another so that it aligns more with how you see yourself in the future. Now's the time to take bold decisions.

While deadlines and demanding clients may be an inevitable part of your job, the post-holiday blues most certainly aren’t. Regaining your focus and feeling in control may take a bit of planning. But with the right mindset, this September may be the year you actually enjoy going back to work.