MATES in Construction: How to deal with post-holiday blues

Taking a bit of time off at the end of the year is absolutely vital for your mental health and physical well-being. Whether you use it for rest and relaxation or action and adventure, taking that time away from work lets you reconnect with your friends and family and de-stress.

The trouble is, time flies when you’re having fun, the break goes quickly, and before long it’s the last day of the holidays. It’s not the greatest feeling, but with the right approach, you can ease back into work without the whiplash. We talked to James, Ronald, Jared, Steve and Nate, Field Officers for MATES in Construction, who shared their top tips to make the return to work easier, smoother, and less stressful.

Get sorted for your first day back the night before

We’ve all got our morning rituals, but since you haven’t done yours for a while, you might be out of practice. Take a bit of time the day before you go back to get your work clothes all sorted, make your lunch, and get your tools and essentials ready to go. Having everything organised beforehand will make the early wakeup a little bit easier, and give you a bit more time to clear the fog and breeze into work.

Don’t expect too much of yourself

James reckons the best way around the post-holiday blues is to set some reasonable expectations for what you’ll achieve in your first week. While it’s nice to hit the ground running at work, putting too much pressure on yourself will lead to stress that can snowball. Writing yourself a plan for the first week is a great way to keep your expectations in check.

Take the time to catch up with your workmates

Ronald said when he gets back to work, he’s not going to be talking about work. At least, not straight away. He’ll be taking the time to catch up with his mates and find out about their break - after all, everyone’s in the same position returning to work. Jared agreed, saying that taking the time to reconnect and appreciate the people on site can connect you to something bigger than yourself.

Plan your next holiday or event

According to Steve, the best way to beat the post-holiday blues is to plan your next holiday or big event. While you might not be ready to return to work, having something to look forward to and work towards can take your mind off where you’d rather be. Whether it’s another big one or just a weekend out of town, knowing you’ve got some good times on the horizon makes it easier to push on.

Don’t forget to stay safe on site

The biggest one for Nate is making sure you’re meeting the safety standards on site. It might be difficult to get back into the work mindset, but that will become much harder with an injury. It’s easy to forget things when you’re transitioning from holiday mode to work mode, so stay vigilant and stay safe.

Keep busy in the evenings

The holidays may be over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy yourself. With daylight savings, there’s still plenty of sunshine to enjoy in the summer evenings. Line up some activities you enjoy for your first week back, whether it’s playing a sport or game, going to the beach or out for dinner, or just catching up with friends and whānau. Just because the work day ends, that doesn’t mean your day is over. Seize your weeknights.

If you’re struggling with the return to work, you’re not alone. Chat to one of the MATES Field Officers on your site or give the Construction Support Line a call on 0800 111 315. You don’t need to bear the load alone, and whatever it is weighing on you, MATES in Construction has your back.