The mental health charity Mind, and The Priory Group, have some good tips on managing the ‘new year blues’.
Eat well and get organised
Try to prepare everything the night before returning back to school or work, including a decent breakfast, and try to get to bed at a reasonable time.
If you work in an office try and book a meeting with your inbox to sort out your admin duties.
Prioritise and set goals
Decide on a few things you want to achieve before the week is out. Making lists helps to manage the priorities for the days ahead.
Look ahead to what you enjoy at work or school
Try to think and talk about the things you most enjoy about work or school – spending time with friends, or interesting projects. Sometimes it helps to write down what these things are to remind ourselves about all the exciting things coming up in the year ahead.
If your child is worried about going back, try to talk to them as much as possible about the fun memories they have. You may also want to contact their teacher and ask if they would be able to do a video call with you and your child. Your child might love it and engage well, or they may feel a bit embarrassed. Either way, it’s good to see you interacting positively with their teacher and talking excitedly about going back to school.
Keep in touch
It can be easy to get caught up in family and the excitement of Christmas, but if possible try to keep in touch with your work or school friends as you get closer to returning, just to take away some of the fear.
Find out more how we help adults, parents and children struggling with life’s challenges here.
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