Post-Holiday Work Return: Managing Anxiety and Energy for a Smoother Transition
A BBC News article published on 3 January 2026 and updated on 4 January 2026 at 00:06 GMT discusses the common post-Christmas return to work challenges, highlighting reluctance, anxiety, and low energy as typical experiences. Experts suggest reframing these feelings as mindset issues rather than a lack of motivation.
One cause of discomfort is the 'Sunday scaries,' which are linked to anticipatory stress about the coming workweek. To ease this transition, it is recommended to create a gentle bridge between the weekend and workweek by planning Monday’s top priority on Friday afternoon, giving the week a clear starting point.
Sunday evenings can be made calmer by reducing screen time and avoiding late-night email checks or planning tasks. For persistent worries, performing a 'thought download'—writing down tasks and concerns—helps to externalize mental clutter, supporting better sleep.
Denise Byrne advises conducting a time audit to regain clarity about where energy is drained and recommends building structure through strategies such as time-blocking and batching to reduce overwhelm. Similarly, Lesley Cooper emphasizes the value of rituals including maintaining regular sleep patterns, good nutrition, and hydration, as well as focusing on small meaningful tasks. Scheduling social time to catch up with people can also ease the return to work.
The article suggests treating January as a transition period to thoughtfully design one’s work approach for the year ahead. Leaders and managers are encouraged to keep expectations low in the initial days back in order to prevent overwhelming staff during this adjustment phase.
