By Maternity leave is such a beautiful time in the life of a woman. You get to take care of your baby, enjoy time with it, and take a mental break from all the work-related hassle. But, once maternity leave is over, many women face the problem of adaptation and getting back to work. This can be stressful and intimidating, especially due to the sudden separation from the child.
However, there are ways you can ease this transition and reduce your stress level at work after maternity leave. Below, you’ll find 6 effective tips on how to do it.
Prepare
Preparation is always a great idea, especially when you’re getting ready to go back to work after a long break. You’ll probably start feeling the stress days before your first day back even comes.
So, to ease the stress, start preparing for it actively:
- try out your office clothes
- check out your professional email
- get in touch with your superiors to get some preparation advice
- brush through the previous work you’ve done
Doing so will remind you that you’ve got this and there’s no reason to stress out.
Take it Slowly
Women love to play superheroes and be the moms that can do it all. Being away from work means losing your professional routine and falling a bit behind your colleagues.
So, don’t put too much pressure on yourself on the first day. Instead, take it slow:
- prepare to be “out of shape”
- start with minor tasks
- take time to do it all right
You can’t speed up the process of re-adapting, so prepare yourself to take it slowly in the beginning. Take care of yourself instead of pushing your limits. This will remove some pressure off your shoulders.
Get Informed
Your colleagues can be extremely helpful in your stress-free return to work. All you need to do is find someone you trust and ask them for a bit of help.
They can:
- introduce you to new colleagues
- show you the new tools they’re using
- discuss changes that happened while you were gone
- guide you in the process of adaptation
The more information you have, the less stressed out you’ll feel. So, find support with your colleagues and don’t try to do it all on your own.
Be Ready to Update Your Skills
While you’ve been away, your job position might have changed and you’ll probably need to update some of your skills. While this is a challenge, especially with a small baby at home, you can do it with proper time management.
Consider your options:
- employee training during work hours
- online courses from home while the baby’s sleeping
- exploring new tools on your own
Luckily, you can find a ton of free resources online and work on professional development on your own. For instance, PaperHelp.org can help you with writing of any kind, until you figure it out yourself.
Discuss Remote Work
After the COVID-19 pandemic, things have changed drastically in the professional world. The remote workplace took over the dominance and more and more companies are embracing it even after the pandemic has finished.
If being away from your child causes way too much stress for you, discuss a remote or a semi-remote position with your boss.
What does that mean?
You can arrange to:
- work from home on specific days
- work from the office on other days
Of course, this is only possible if your job doesn’t require your physical presence but allows you to work from your computer.
This might take some stress off of you, and ease the process of separating from your child.
Get Organized
If your work days are hectic and you’re all over the place when you get back home, you’ll be experiencing a lot of stress that might take a tow on you. Being organized, on the other hand, makes it far easier for you to handle a busy day.
So, embrace the best organization methods there are:
- create a schedule and write it all down
- don’t waste time scrolling social media or procrastinating
- set specific times for each task and stick to it
- have a safety net of people to jump in and help e.g. husband, sister, mother-in-law
If you’re in control of your day and you know exactly how and when to handle daily activities, you’ll feel less stress at work. This will let you enjoy both your professional and personal daily activities.
Final Thoughts
As much as you’ve enjoyed your maternity leave, it does have to end at some point. Getting back to work can be a stressful period, especially if you’re not properly prepared.
The 6 tips we’ve listed above will help you make your comeback less stressful and difficult. Use them to enjoy your return to work and go back home to our child feeling happy and satisfied.
Author’s bio. Jessica Fender is a professional writer and educational blogger at Writeload. Jessica enjoys sharing her ideas to make writing and learning fun.