After being furloughed for months, many workers are preparing to get back to work. While getting back to some sort of normal routine is important, it’s understandable to suffer with back to work stress.
This is especially true if you’re planning on using public transport to get to and from work. So, as the pandemic continues how can you combat back to work stress?
Plan ahead
One of the best ways to combat back to work stress is to plan ahead. This includes planning how you’re getting to work, as well as how you can keep yourself safe in the workplace.
If you are having to use public transportation to get to work, plan the shortest route and familiarise yourself with safety guidelines. If you need to take a Wakefield to London train, book off-peak where you can. Remember to take a mask too in line with government guidelines.
Utilise distractions
A great tip to help you combat travel stress, is to utilise distractions. For example, you could listen to a podcast throughout the journey. This would distract the mind and help to reduce stress. You could even listen to a stress-busting podcast to help ease your anxiety.
Books and puzzles are also good for distracting the mind. Whenever you feel yourself starting to get stressed, use something to distract your negative line of thinking.
Practice mindfulness
One of the best ways to combat stress is to practice mindfulness. This helps to keep the mind in the present moment. There have been a lot of studies which have shown the benefits regular mindfulness practice can deliver. So, what kind of mindfulness practices can you partake in to ease back to work stress?
Deep breathing exercises are great as they instantly calm the mind. You can also practice meditation as this can really help to combat stress at any time. It may take a while to get the hang of it, but meditation can do wonders for reducing your stress levels. Take a look online and you’ll find a lot of mindfulness practices you can follow.
These are just some of the ways you can deal with back to work stress. Make sure you familiarise yourself with government guidelines too, particular when it comes to travelling on public transportation. See what support is available through your job too. Many employers are offering extra help during these uncertain times.
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