How you can beat the back-to-work blues...
Picture posed
Wednesday January 07 2009
January is the most depressing month of the year. A cocktail of Christmas debt, gloomy skies and a post-festive hangover means we would rather stay in bed with the duvet over our heads.
Unfortunately, most of us have to fight the back-to-work blues, if only to earn enough money to pay off that credit-card debt.
The good news is that you are not alone.
"While we always say that depression is a year-round illness, there is a noticeable increase in calls to our helpline," says Sandra Hogan, PRO of mental-health organisation Aware.
"We used to hold our Depression Awareness Week (DAWN) in September, but we looked at in 2005 and decided to move it to January which we know is a more difficult time for many people."
DAWN's week-long campaign of events and raising awareness of depression begins on January 19 this year.
Hogan lists the heady ingredients that contribute to the January blues: additional financial pressure from paying off Christmas; the long gap between pay days for workers paid before the Christmas break in December; the stress of Christmases spent in contact with relatives that might bring family issues to the forefront that linger on into January.
"I would even point out the link between our diet and exercise and our mental health," she adds.
"Over Christmas people socialise a lot, they take a lot of alcohol on board, lots of rich food and get less exercise maybe because of late nights."
So although most workers have time off over the festive period, they can return to work feeling like they haven't had time to recharge their batteries.
A recent study in Australia found that, unlike other break periods throughout the year, employees return to work more tired and stressed in January than when they broke for holidays.
No wonder people are queuing up outside travel agents for bargain basement sun holidays on New Year's Day.
University of Queensland researcher Dr Jeff Wilks said that for many Australians the so-called "back to work blues" was a real condition.
The symptoms included disorientation, little interest in work, a general go-slow attitude until the middle of January and feverish plans for the next holiday.
Recognising these issues as having a knock-on impact on our New Year mood goes a long way towards helping people at least understand why they feel so awful in January.
"People think Christmas is the stressful time, but in reality they are dealing with the aftermath for longer than that."
On the other hand, those of us dragging our feet into work on a cold January morning can be galvanised into action by the new year.
'As the saying goes, 'new year, new career', says career coach Paul Mullan from HR and recruitment company measurability.ie.
"Traditionally, people see January as a clean slate, a fresh start," he says.
"They use it as the starting point to change careers. And it's a good time to do it, because it's a busy time from a recruitment point of view."
The economic downturn might make January 2009 a more cautious environment for changing jobs, but Mullan says there will still be movement.
"Even with the current climate, there are new budgets at the start of the year for staffing and resources, new positions come online, and people who were hanging on for end-of-year bonuses and pay reviews are ready to move.
"This has a multiplier effect, of course, where their moving to new positions leave their slots open for new employees to fill."
It all sounds very dynamic, if you are one of those movers and shakers who can make a New Year's resolution to improve your career and stick to it, but Mullan also suggests there may be other reasons why going back to work might give some employees the shivers.
"Well, there weren't so many Christmas parties this year, but from a funnier slant, in years gone by, you would come across people looking for a new job because they did something at the Christmas party and couldn't face people at work again," says Mullan.
What could be so bad that you could never darken the door of your office again?
"You would be surprised," says Mullan.
"In the last few years, the corporate culture of going for a few drinks after work has died off because of people having to do long commutes home, tighter drink-driving laws and so on.
"So you have people getting to the Christmas do, in their first social context with colleagues in the year, with the frustrations of 12 months built up inside them.
"A few too many mulled wines and they are telling the boss what they think of them."
Apart from moving job altogether, is there anything we can do to combat the Sunday night depression sparked by going back to work in January?
It is worth noting that our feelings of doom and gloom could be exacerbated by the fact that January is one of the months with the shortest number of daylight hours.
We leave for work in the dark, work all day under artificial light and the street lights are on again before we even get home.
And while technically, the days are getting longer, cyclonic weather systems take hold in January that keep Ireland swaddled in low, dark clouds.
According to the VHI, Seasonal Affective Disorder mainly affects women and is very common in people between the ages of 20 and 30.
Light therapy can be prescribed in some cases, but the VHI advises that most people would benefit greatly from taking some light exercise in the afternoon or early morning -- even a short walk would have a huge effect.
But most of all, it is vital to realise that this too shall pass. A Cardiff University professor figured out a formula three years ago that showed that the third week in January is the lowpoint of the year.
His equation took into account such variables as weather, debt, monthly salary, the amount of time elapsed since Christmas, the amount of time since you broke your most important New Year's resolution, low motivational levels and the need to take action.
"For many people, these blues are just a temporary setback," says Aware's Sandra Hogan.
"But for others they have an underlying depression and the post-Christmas period aggravates that.
"In January people are left picking up the pieces. People should be aware that there are so many helplines out there that they can call.
"And the MABS (Money, Advice and Budgeting Service) is worth mentioning. There is help: take it."
Aware helpline: lo-call 1890 303 302 The Samaritans: 1850 60 90 90 MABS helpline: 1890 283 438, or visit www.mabs.ie for free independent advice on debt and money management.
