Re-adjusting to early mornings, a mountain of work that piled up over the festive break and dealing with challenging clients are all things that take their toll in early January.
The majority of us won’t start functioning properly until almost a full working week has passed, a new study has discovered.
The research of 2,000 adults, commissioned by SPANA, found for one in six Brits, the feeling of having nothing to look forward to also means they struggle to get back into their normal routine.
The study found 44 per cent of adults reckon they suffer from the January blues, and 52 per cent said that during the early part of the month, they’ll only be at work in body, but not ‘in mind’.
Three in 10 workers said they’re fully expecting work to be awful in January because they know they can’t have any time off for a while, while a fifth said they’re likely to return to a big workload. A quarter are not looking forward to the likelihood that everyone else will be miserable about the return to work.
“Going back to work after time off can be a shock to the system – especially after a sustained period of parties, lie-ins and relaxation.” Said, Geoffrey Dennis, chief executive of SPANA.
“However, most of us are fortunate to be returning to jobs that we feel comfortable in, with decent colleagues and reasonable working conditions. As the holiday hangovers kick in, it’s important to keep some perspective and remember that our working lives could be unimaginably worse.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, more than a fifth of adults have considered calling in sick for the first few days back to work, while more than half are expecting to feel sad the evening before their first day.
Researchers also found almost half of those polled have no intentions of making any social arrangements in January. When asked why, 12 per cent said they would be too grumpy, while a third said they’ll have no money.
A lack of cash also means Brits are unlikely to go shopping in the January sales, and won’t do anything of any interest until the first payday of 2019. The fact there are still months left of winter to go, feeling tired and sluggish and having to endure rubbish television are other major reasons adults find January a chore.
Brits also don’t like the fact social media is full of weight loss plans they can’t relate to, and everyone is doing dry January.
This New Year, the best way to get back into the swing of things is to, unfortunately, just get on with life until your workday routine gets back to normal and you feel a little better about everything.
Top 10 reasons Brits struggle to get back in the saddle
- The days are still short and dark.
- Re-adjusting to the boring routine of everyday life.
- You feel like there’s nothing to look forward to.
- The gym is packed with people on a new year fitness kick.
- Social media is full of weight loss plans and New Year’s resolutions that you can’t relate to.
- Having to face all the people you behaved badly in front of at the Christmas party.
- You feel tired and sluggish.
- Clients and customers are a challenge to work with.
- Feels like ages before you will have any time off work again.
- January feels like the longest month of the year.
