Conquering Post-Holiday Stress: A Guide to Maintaining Wellness at Work

This article explores strategies to manage stress upon returning to work after a holiday. Highlighting the prevalence of work-related stress, it provides seven actionable tips, including reconnecting with colleagues, controlling workload, taking breaks, and setting realistic objectives to mitigate stress and maintain well-being.

Manchester, Aug 17 (The Conversation) – The philosopher and political economist John Stuart Mill famously avoided holidays, fearing they might breed idleness. Even today, the post-holiday return to work often brings 'instant stress,' erasing the benefits of a restful break.

Whether working from home or the office, many people find their environments to be frenetic and exhausting. In the 1970s, cardiologists Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman coined the term 'hurry sickness' to describe the consequences of such work settings. The UK's Health & Safety Executive reports that stress, depression, or anxiety account for over half of all work-related ill health cases.

To help manage post-holiday stress and maintain the benefits of a break, here are seven tips from a professor of organizational psychology and health: reconnect socially with colleagues, control your workload, take short breaks, go home on time, avoid back-to-back meetings, be tolerant of colleagues, and set realistic work objectives.

(With inputs from agencies.)