When I thought about this post, I have to admit I had the children in mind. After day one of being back at work myself though and it’s clear that I need help too! So here’s my top three tips for beating the back to school bleurgh!
1. Take it easy
You’ve had some time off. If you’re anything like me you’ve spent the first week of that time on a mad Christmas dash, cramming hospitality and shopping at unsuitable hours into every available millisecond. The second week I finally got chance to wind down. And wind down I did. Lazy mornings, even lazier afternoons, meals combined into a selection of goodies at random parts of the day, nights where you didn’t need to go to bed until late as there were books to read, TV to watch. Basically, I’m all out of whack!
Ignoring the fact that you have to get up at a certain time just to make it to work, make sure you’re easing yourself back into things as much as possible. Try to avoid scheduling anything major for the first week back and just concentrate on getting your brain back into gear and your body back into the routine. Make your workload as easy as possible, slow and steady wins the race!
2. Feed yourself!
Christmas gorge. Yum. Yum. Yum. Sadly, a diet consisting solely of Quality Street and Christmas Cake is unsustainable in the long run and you’re going to have to man up and eat your veg. You don’t need me to tell you all about the benefits of vitamins – I’m not preaching to the choir here – and I’m not convincing you to diet. Just look after yourself. Getting a little bit of what you need can make January that much more bearable.
The same applies to the kids too. Irregular meals and late night snacks have been the order of the day so it’s important to get them back on a meal routine, full of good stuff to get their energy levels up.
3. Prepare for the crash
Even if you’re back at work and are not feeling the bleurghiness, I’m pretty sure it will hit at some point. Certainly the girls have been bounding around like they’ve all the energy in the world but I’m confident that they’ll hit a brick wall during this week and their energy levels will crash dramatically. Don’t feel bad about retiring to bed early. Snuggle on the sofa and do nothing! Leave the work at work and for just one week take the time to bury yourself at home in warmth and cosiness.
