And so, with summer nearly over, it is nearly time to return to classrooms. For some, summer will have disappeared in the blink of an eye; for others, perhaps juggling childcare or marking exam papers, it may have seemed longer than normal. Either way, it’s not long until we will begin to welcome students to 2022/23 and start another new year. It is also at around this time that some begin to feel the back-to-work blues – getting up earlier, not seeing friends and family as frequently or less time outdoors or completing hobbies. So, what can we do about this? Well, let’s take a look at 5 things you can do to stave off the back to work blues…
Retail Therapy
Whether it’s adding to your work wardrobe or buying new stationary, retail therapy will always help when thinking about returning to work from a long holiday absence. Something as small as a new pair of shoes or even a new planner can make a lot of difference when going back to work after a sustained break. This doesn’t need to cost the earth, however: even relatively small buys can make a massive difference.
Use your time wisely
As much as summer is nearly over, it’s not over yet! Spend the remaining time with family, plan in some special events, go to the cinema, organise day trips, bring together friends for an evening out – these are just some of the things you can do before you go back to work. More than this, why not arrange for some of these things to happen during the first half term? Having an event or occasion to look forward to can really help when returning to work after the summer holidays.
Routines and Sleep
More than anything else, being well rested and fresh for a new academic year is enormously beneficial. Following simple rules to improve your quality of sleep can also make a real difference: avoid blue light any time before bed; avoid screen time from 8:30pm (whether a laptop, phone, tablet or television) and buying a ‘dawn simulator’ (essentially, an alarm clock which uses light instead of a ringtone or jingle) can have a massive impact on the quality of your sleep, and therefore the quality of the rest of your day. Using this and other routines (regularly eating a healthy breakfast, fitting in regular exercise etc.) are simple things that can be done which can easily have a huge impact on your day.
Avoid comparisons
It’s tempting when returning to work to make comparisons with colleagues – whether this is how they have spent their time away from work, or how they are adjusting after being away, it’s something we do too often. Regardless of how amazing their holidays may have been, or how much they seem to be enjoying being back at work, focus on yourself and the things you need to do get back into the swing of things.
Set new goals/targets
What do you want to achieve in 2022/23? How will you do this? Who can/will help you to achieve this? Whatever it is you want to achieve in the next academic year, putting a plan in place (and knowing what steps need to be taken and by when) is absolutely vital. Communicating this to those who can support you is also vital. Do this as early as possible and you’ll have a much better chance of achieving your goal. Whether it is a qualification, some specific professional development, a promotion or even just an element of your pedagogy that you’d like to improve, reflecting on the what and the when will also give you a sense of empowerment and ownership over any new goals and/or targets.
Whatever 2022/23 brings, using the above is certain to help beat any back to work blues, and will make the first few weeks enjoyable and energising. More than anything, it’s important to make sure that you give yourself the time you need, and deserve, when back at work. Take breaks from working, don’t do too much and make sure that you are not taking on excessive workload. There is a full year to get everything done!
About the author
Jonathan Kay
Jonny Kay is Head of Teaching, Learning and Assessment at a college in the North East. He has previously worked as Head of English and maths in FE and as an English teacher and Head of English in Secondary schools. He tweets @jonnykayteacher and his book, 'Improving Maths and English in Further Education: A Practical Guide', is available now.
