Beat every shade of the ‘post-holiday blues’

You all know the scenario: you’ve spent a week soaking up sun, sand and sangria and now after a day locked in a flying bus being served sub-standard cuisine you are back in the office staring at the beads of rain rolling down your office windows against a backdrop of grey London cloud.  The additional five pounds you gained eating gelato are doing nothing to atone for the hundreds of pounds missing from your wallet. Depressing isn’t it?

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to keep that holiday spirit alive?  While we can’t promise you a desk on a beach, we can supply you with some fantastic tips to lift your mood and transfer that holiday feeling into the office.

• Relive your bliss:  Simply take some time each day to close your eyes and relive some of the experiences you had whilst on holiday.  You’ll be amazed how that holiday feeling of tranquillity will wash over you.
• Accept your feelings:  Recognise that feeling down after a holiday is entirely normal.
• Time out: Taking time out to have quiet thinking time about anything is fantastic for you.  Try to set aside at least ten minutes a day just for you.
• Unpack and de-clutter:  Tripping over your suitcase on your way up the stairs every night will only depress you further.  Refreshing your living and working space by reorganising and de-cluttering will improve your mood no end as your environment will seem new and fresh.
• Reassess your goals:  Goals that seemed feasible before you went away may now seem daunting and unrealistic.  Take an honest look at your targets and reassess them to ensure they are in fact achievable.
• Get help:  If you need help to hit your targets after your break, get help in the form of a contractor.  Here at Langley James we are experts in finding the perfect IT professional to help you out of a tight spot at short notice.
• Connect:  Holidays are great opportunities to spend quality time with friends and family but when you are busy with everyday life it’s easy to send your social life to the bottom of your list of priorities.  Don’t!  Work-life balance is essential for your well-being and simply getting together with friends is a great mid-week boost.
• Plan the next one:  Start planning for your next holiday.  If you can book it and have a date to look forward to, even better.  If it’s not possible to book another holiday in the near future make sure you have treats planned and reminders displayed around your work space.
• Budget:  Accept that you may have overspent and assess the damage.  Work out exactly what money needs to go towards paying off credit cards and overdrafts and what you have spare.
• Treat yourself:  If post-holiday budget is an issue plan small treats rather than large extravagances and you won’t feel deprived.  Why not have a day at the races or an evening at an art gallery.
• Taste the exotic:  After eating a variety of interesting and novel cuisine on holiday you can be left feeling sluggish and unwell as the pressures of real life mean you revert to unexciting, unhealthy convenience food.  Make the effort to experiment with ingredients to get that holiday feeling.  Forget your boring sandwich lunch – seek out exotic alternatives to give your working day a lift.
• Cocktails:  Recreate your favourite holiday cocktail at home or even as part of a Friday evening routine after work to boost motivation in your staff.  Just remember to check no one has to drive home.
• Get a check-up:  If you are not feeling quite right after your holiday or you have niggling pains then it could be nothing… but equally it’s easy to underestimate pain when you are away and having fun.  Make sure you get checked out by your GP just in case it’s something more serious.  There is nothing more stressful than having health worries at the back of your mind.
• Get outside:  It’s likely that during your holiday you spent lots of time outdoors.  It can feel very unhealthy to then be stuck in an office for most of the day.  Combat this by trying to at least get out of the office for fresh air at lunchtime for a few minutes.  You may even be able to stretch out that holiday tan.
• Healthy eating:  After a week or two of escaping the routine it’s easy to forget those healthy habits you were so strict about before you left.  Remember your ‘five-a-day’.
• Drink up:  Drink plenty of water to make sure you keep hydrated now you are back in a heated or air-conditioned environment.
• Exercise:  Don’t let two weeks of relaxation in the sun get you off track.  Keep up with your exercise schedule and boost those endorphins.  Even 30 minutes of outdoor walking can boost your mood and get rid of holiday pounds.
• Be an adrenaline junky:  Remember the surfing class you took in Cornwall?  The scuba diving in Barbados?  Why only try something new on holiday?  Why not try rock climbing or indoor sky diving to get that adrenaline boost you crave.
• Colour therapy:  Was there a colour you loved on holiday? Perhaps the deep blue of the Moroccan sky or the rustic terracotta of Italian roofs?  A feature wall in your office in a colour that lifts your spirits can bring the holiday feeling into the office.
• Don’t be SAD:  Use a ‘broad spectrum daylight’ lamp which is proven to lift mood of those suffering from ‘seasonal affective disorder’ during times of sparse daylight.  If you don’t want to buy one you can rent their use in many spas.
• Stay golden:  Top up your tan with some time on a sunbed.  If you’re worried about the UV rays there are plenty of top quality spray tan treatments available.
• Be selfish:  Have one activity just for you each week.  Whether it’s a yoga class, taking a vintage car restoration class, or cooking yourself a gourmet meal for one, make it just for you.
• Be unpredictable:  Shake your routine up.  Alter your route to work or ban TV one evening a week… anything that jolts you out of the predictable will break up the monotony of the working week.
• Take another day:  Don’t dash straight back to the office before you’ve had the chance to breathe.  Take an extra day’s leave to unpack and enjoy being at home before returning to work prepared, relaxed and ready to roll.
• Clock off:  While it’s necessary to work in the evenings at home for the vast majority of managers, make sure you set a strict time for finishing.  Having a portion of evening free without distractions will work wonders for your stress levels.
• Prioritise:  During the first few days back at work, only tackle your most important tasks.  Ticking them off will leave you with a sense of instant achievement while tackling a mountain of mundane tasks can feel like moving a desert with a teaspoon.
• Keep the holiday going:  If you enjoyed an activity like swimming or dancing on holiday, there’s no reason not to carry on.  Make it part of your week.
• Get up (even) earlier:  There’s nothing like a long leisurely breakfast to relax you and set you up for the day (just like you enjoyed on holiday).  All it takes is setting your alarm clock 30 minutes early.
• Eat alfresco:  Summer’s not over yet.  Make the most of an Indian summer by getting outdoors and making the most of the sunshine.  Whether it’s a barbeque or a picnic in Greenwich Park, nothing gives you the holiday feeling like eating outdoors.
• Go for gold:  Sometimes everyday life can seem a bit mundane after a break.  Work out what you want from your career and go for it.  Prepare thoroughly and meet with your immediate superior to make an action plan.  Who knows what your next destination could be.

We hope this advice helps you hit the ground running when you get back to the office but we’d love to hear your ideas too.  What do you do to get the holiday feeling to carry over into the office.  Follow us on Facebook or Tweet us @ITRecruitment.