In this article we explore the well known phenomenon of post-holiday blues, what the causes are and how we can best overcome them!

What’s causing your blues?
How to shake off the blues!

Was your summer holiday relaxing, enjoyable and a much-needed opportunity to chill out? A week or two away from the daily grind can help us feel refreshed, revitalised and re-enthused for life and work. However, this time out can also throw up uncomfortable questions about life and where we’re heading …

The second most popular time for making life and career changes, after New Year, is late summer. Why? Most of us, while lying on the beach, in the countryside, or in the garden, finally get the chance to wind down, clear our minds of the busyness of everyday life and take stock. Questions pop into our minds, such as: What’s working in my life and career - and what isn’t? What’s important to me? And the big question – where am I going?

You can react to this questioning process in several ways. One way is to feel dissatisfied and resolve to make changes, but then shake off the blues – and your intended actions – as you go back to work. You may even realise that you quite like what you do after all! On the other hand, your reflection may bring greater perspective and clarity: you realise what you really want to do, and start putting plans into place for moving forwards. Or, like many people, you may feel stuck in the middle – you continue to feel dissatisfied, but don’t know what to do, and go back to work without shaking off the negative feelings.

If you’re in this place, and still dissatisfied, here’s how to turn it around so you can start to move forwards: 

What’s causing your blues?

If your time off has confirmed that you’re not happy at work, it’s time to stop questioning and start writing! The first step to greater work satisfaction is to become more aware of how you’re feeling at work. In this exercise, you can substitute ‘work’ for ‘home life’ if appropriate. Answer the following questions to gain greater clarity:

1. What % of your time at work are you feeling: Enjoyment? In between? Misery?

2. What contributes to your enjoyment at work? You might include areas such as social interaction, creativity, recognition or challenge.  Make a list of all factors – and when you think you’ve covered everything, come up with at least 3 more

3. What contributes to your misery at work? Make a list of all factors. This could include issues such as bureaucracy, negative interactions, repetition or lack of challenge

4. What’s the underlying critical variable to your enjoyment at work? Critical variables are what you value, what you see, hear or feel that are a must for you to experience enjoyment. For example, seeing that you’re moving forwards, hearing that you’re making a contribution to a bigger goal, or feeling that you’re learning and growing professionally

How to shake off the blues!

With clarity on what you like and dislike, you can start moving in the right direction:

1.  How can you create more of what you enjoy within your work? If you like social interaction or being creative, how can you bring more of these into your everyday life? Write down all the possibilities – including how to get rid of what you don’t want! When you think you’ve exhausted your options, think of at least 3 more

2.  Choose your top 3 ideas and turn them into actions – what can you do on a daily or weekly basis to create a greater sense of fun and enjoyment at work?

3.  Re-read your critical variables. What can you do to increase them? This will enable you to enjoy yourself whilst working, regardless of circumstances. For example, if you value learning, build learning opportunities into every day. If your professional growth means gaining a qualification or developing a skill, set yourself a goal to achieve this, and build in rewards for taking action

If your answers indicate that a big change such as a new job or different career really is what you want, or if making change seems daunting, working with a coach would help you to get clear and take effective forward action. In the meantime, you can banish the post-holiday blues and create more contentment in any role by focusing on what you enjoy doing and creating more of it.

Use the blues in the way they’re intended – as a sign that it’s time to redefine your direction, create more fun and regain your zest for life!

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