5 Tips to Avoid Back-to-Work Stress in September

September can be a stressful time: particularly in that first week back after holidays. The joy of poolside relaxation can quickly evaporate when viewing the tsunami of emails that are waiting for you!

Here are five tips to help ease the stress and prevent attacks of anxiety. The most important one is at the end.?

Tip 1: Prioritise reconnection over messages

On your first day back, your priority is to reconnect with key colleagues (or clients, if you are independent). The most important part of our working lives consists of relationships: not just of tasks or messages. These relationships sustain our sense of social connection and wellbeing. As a result, you will feel less anxious (and more connected) when you catch-up with key people.

Tip 2: Don’t try to clear all emails / messages at once

Yes, it’s tempting; we have all tried it! The sheer volume of messages often produces anxiety. But there are two problems with trying to clear the backlog. First, in your rush to get through it, it’s easy to fire off curt or mistaken replies that miss vital context. Second, secluding yourself to answer messages may mean that you are disconnecting (even hiding!) from key people.?

Instead, approach the backlog with a bisection method: aim to clear 50% of it each day. You will be fully caught up in just a few days.

Tip 3: Get back into your planning routine as soon as possible

Your planning routine is the cockpit of your work life. If you spend your entire first week in the engine room or bailing water, it’s easy to miss key priorities. Furthermore, planning brings perspective and perspective helps with anxiety. Planning also helps us to prevent stress, rather than just to deal with stress.?

Tip 4: Take breaks, even tiny ones

The act of taking a break, even for just a few minutes, is a tangible reminder of a core-truth: we are not our work life. If you have enjoyed a nice summer holiday, you know this already. But it’s very easy to forget, when sailing on the choppy waters of a busy workday.

These little breaks can be an opportunity to stretch, drink water, share a joke with a colleague… anything that brings you a few moments of joy. The inability to take a break is often one of the first signs of an impending burnout.?

Tip 5: Remind yourself of your worth

It’s an odd fact that at times, holidays have the effect of disconnecting people from the value of their work. The reasons for this are a bit complex, so I will save this for another day. However, if you are feeling even a bit dismissive of your ideas / achievements / strengths / contribution… just be aware that this might be a temporary fog. In that case, this might not be an ideal time to make a big decision!

Once again, there is more to you than your work life. Your self-worth does not have to be proved to anyone, not even to yourself. Even in a fog (perhaps especially in a fog), you can be a loyal friend to yourself.?

One of the best things we can do in September is to take life day by day. Whatever happened earlier on in the year, it’s already just a memory, not an identity. What we call the future is just an idea (often a fearful imagining) in our heads. The only reality is the one here and now.?

Webinar: Healthy Routines for the Autumn Ahead

Our September Zoom webinar is “Healthy Routines for the Autumn Ahead” on Thursday 26 September at 12noon UK / 13h CET, which deals with:

• Some with the current pressures fuelling burnout, including self-esteem
• Common challenges: e.g. “My future depends on this”?
• The significance of self-worth: “the missing piece of the puzzle”
• Core Daily & Weekly structures that work
• Dealing with moments of stress and anxiety

>>> Register for this free event <<<

Do you want to add more impact and value in your work, while staying on top of workload?? If so, you are welcome to schedule a call here .

? John Niland, August 2024. For enquiries about John as coach or speaker, on topics of self-worth and professional identity see www.selfworthacademy.com or email [email protected]