Holidays are always lovely, until the thought of returning to work creeps in. And for some reason, this time, it felt even harder than usual.
I’d just come back from a proper break: warm sunshine, great food, comfy stays, soft white sand, and clear blue seas. It was the kind of holiday I’d been dreaming of. For the first time in ages, I actually felt rested.
But the moment my feet touched the ground after the flight home, anxiety kicked in. Just the thought of returning to work made my chest feel tight. My inbox was overflowing, my to-do list had doubled, and the idea of jumping back into meetings and deadlines felt… crushing.
On my first day back, I stared at my laptop for fifteen minutes, trying to convince myself to open my emails. I wasn’t ready. I missed waking up without an alarm, eating slowly, and taking aimless walks. But instead, I was thrown right back into the chaos – Slack messages, project updates, and a “welcome back!” email packed with six things to follow up on.
What made it harder was how everyone else around me seemed to slip back into work mode so easily. Meanwhile, I was just trying to stop myself from scrolling through holiday photos during meetings.
I felt a bit guilty for not feeling grateful. I had a job, a stable income, so why did going back feel so heavy? But eventually, I realised that post-holiday blues are real. And it’s okay to feel that way. The shift from rest to routine can be jarring, especially when you’ve finally had time to breathe.
Slowly, I started giving myself room to ease back in. One email at a time. One meeting at a time. No pressure to be 100% on day one. I also stopped beating myself up for needing time to adjust.
Now, I try to keep my schedule light on the first day back. Transitions don’t have to be instant. Rest is important, but so is giving yourself space after it ends.
This article is part of TSS Confessions, a weekly column where we delve into personal finance topics that are unscripted and genuine real accounts from people.
