Five Ways To Beat The Back To Work Blues

The New Year is here, the schools are back and today will see the first full week back to work for the majority of us.

After a string of late nights and mornings over the festive break, it’s likely that many of us are out of our regular sleep routine and possibly feeling a little out of sorts.

Sound familiar? Fear not, we’ve compiled our top five tips to help you shake off this feeling, get back into your regular routine and ultimately beat the post-Christmas comedown – you can thank us later!

Create a bedtime routine

If you find yourself hitting the snooze button most mornings or running late for work, creating a bed time routine could be for you.

Choose a time to hit the hay each night and be consistent. Set a warning alarm 30 minutes before and use this time to wind down – and don’t forget, your bed should be a no tech zone, so remember to turn off your phone or tablet (or better yet, leave them in another room to avoid temptation).

Why not try five minutes of mindfulness or stretching, have a relaxing shower, or read a book? You’ll wake up feeling more energised which can help with productivity during the day.

Reset your diet and create healthy eating habits

It’s a well-known fact that healthy eating can have a positive impact on our mental well-being.

Our top tip is to prepare! Planning your daily meals and snacks will help you stay on track. For example, have three breakfasts you can rotate, find 10 easy dinner recipes that you can whip up on week nights, and find portable lunches you can take to work.

Our favourite hack is to stick a list of go to snacks to the fridge as a reminder for when you start craving junk food – you’d be surprised at how quickly your old habits can creep back in.

Cut out alcohol and caffeine

Did you know caffeine has a direct impact on the quality of your sleep? It’s true, and it can take up to ten hours for it to completely flush out of your system.

Consider replacing your afternoon coffee with herbal tea or decaffeinated variant, particularly if you find that you wake up feeling unrefreshed despite having slept for eight or more hours.

Get some fresh air

Set aside some time on your lunch break to go for a quick walk and breathe in some fresh air. The boost in serotonin will help to improve your mood and keep you energised throughout the day.

Get organised

To prevent getting overwhelmed in the first full week back at work, spend some time each night preparing for the following day – pack your bag and get a good night’s sleep.

The less time you spend rushing in the morning will reduce your overall stress levels – and it means you can enjoy longer in bed!

Our final thoughts…

Back to work blues are a normal part of life but there are plenty of steps you can take to help beat them.

And don’t forget, getting back on track can take a few weeks, so take it slow and steady while you transition back into a normal routine.
Finally, remember to focus on prioritising your health, sleep and happiness this year!

How have you combatted the back to work blues? Let us know on our Twitter or Facebook page and don’t forget to follow us for more sleep tips and advice!