Got the post-holiday blues? How to give yourself a boost
If you’re feeling just a tinge of the blues after being back to the daily grind after all the fun of the Christmas and new year holidays, you’re not alone. Here are a few tips on how to pick up your spirits and maintain a positive outlook.Make a planOrganise a night out at the cinema or a dinner at a fancy restaurant, by giving yourself something to look forward to and you’ll help make the transition back into daily life seem less of a shock.Organise your photographsHolidays are all about taking loads of pictures, but they’re something most of us forget about. Yet there’s no better way to reminisce about your holidays than to flick through your snaps. Creating scrapbook pages, sharing your photographs online with friends or even simply putting the pictures in an album will help keep a smile on your face well after the holidays are over.Tidy upA great way to ease back into work is to clean up your office. If you left it in a mess before you went away, then now is the perfect time for a spring clean. Tidy up your desk, dust the book shelves, clean out your inbox and reorganise your electronic files. Before you know it, you’ll be so focused on cleaning, you’ll have forgotten about your post-holiday blues altogether.ExerciseYou’ve probably heard it a thousand times before, but exercise is the best medicine for almost everything. Going to the gym, joining a class, taking a run, or simply going for a half hour walk each day will help keep you active and make you feel a whole lot better. When you feel physically fit it has a flow on affect to your emotional well-being which in turn helps you to work better and stay focused.Get out of the daily rutYou can’t make sun shine when it’s grey outside or ease the traffic congestion, but you can resolve not to slip back into a rut after your holiday. Whether it’s trying a new cafe for lunch or leaving on time to go for an after-work walk, promise yourself you will do something new every day. As they say, a change is as good as a holiday.ReassessIf the thought of returning to work is really getting you down, then perhaps it’s time you reconsider your options. Ask yourself some hard questions about your work and what you want from your jobIf the thought of returning to work is really getting you down, then perhaps it’s time you reconsider your options. Ask yourself some hard questions about your work and what you want from your job: Is it challenging? Do you feel your work is fulfilling you? Do you enjoy what you do? If the answers to these questions are ‘no’, then maybe it’s time to polish up your resume, and get out there and start looking for new job.Plan your next holidayThe best way of course to beat the post-holiday blues is to start planning your next vacation. Call into a travel agent and pick up some brochures or set up a new travel itinerary on your favourite travel website. Planning another holiday will give you something to look forward to and will make work seem less tedious. After all, half the fun of travel is in the anticipation.***The 5th Annual National Staples Small Business Survey reveals that 60 percent of small business owners admit to spending more time holding their mobile devices than the hand of their significant others. But that might not necessarily be a bad thing. While this new “phonemance” phenomenon would seemingly have the potential to overtake family time, the increasing popularity of the “virtual office” actually illustrates how technology is enabling small business owners to achieve both increased productivity and a better work-life balance.The Internet poll explored the use of technology and social media, and its positive and negative effects on productivity and work-life balance. The results found that the unpredictable economy, continued downsizing and increased responsibilities have pressured US small business owners to mix business with pleasure.- 43 percent of small business owners reveal working during hours spent with family.- 68 percent who own a mobile device rely on just one for both personal and business use making it difficult to “switch off” during family time.However, this increased dependency on technology also comes with benefits as it allows small business owners the ability to bring their office anywhere, from home to the Little League field. The virtual office now allows them to stay plugged in providing many small business owners the flexibility they haven’t achieved in the past.“Technology and mobile devices, in particular, can actually be good for family relationships, allowing Mom or Dad to stay plugged in with work while simultaneously attending events - ball games, school events - that were historically only possible for the non-working parent to attend,” said Dr Seth Meyers, a licensed clinical psychologist, relationship expert and author.“Though the small business owner’s attention may be divided in such contexts, it allows for greater balance than life before such technology allowed.”Other survey findings suggest that technology and “phonemancing” are actually enabling small businesses owners to achieve a better balance:- 56 percent of owners and managers are taking advantage of the “virtual office” spending less time working at their desk with the help of technology.- 52 percent now feel more comfortable taking a vacation because they can stay plugged-in versus just 35 percent last year.- 40 percent of significant others don’t seem to mind the new phonemancing behaviour and support the small business owner’s need to work more to help make ends meet…even if that creeps in to relationship time.However, “phonemance” has not completely trumped romance. When asked whether they would feel greater withdrawal to go a week without their significant other than a day without their smart phone or mobile device, 63 percent said they would miss their partner more than their phone.