After the holiday I will feel so much better

Did the summer holiday bring you a renewed sense of joy and renewed energy in your work?
Yes? I am so glad it did!

No? Then this blog is for you.

When we feel very tired before the holidays, when we don’t really enjoy our work as much anymore, when we have doubts about our job..... we often hope or think that a couple of weeks of holiday will help us to get back to work again full of energy, full of joy.

Like those before and after pictures. You know them! Before and after pictures of people doing a weight loss programme, before and after pictures of people with a new hairstyle, the living room before and after a restyling. The common denominator? The before picture always looks pretty bad, or uninspiring. The after picture shows a BIG change, it is always sooooo much better.

Often we expect our holiday to bring about such big differences as well. Sometimes taking a holiday will have this lovely effect.  But not always!

May I tell you such a before and after story? 
It is a story that is based on a true story. Or actually, it is based on multiple true stories. I have been there myself and some of my friends and clients have been there as well. If this story resonates with you, know you are certainly not the only one!

Before the holiday…
You get up and get ready for work. You look outside and see the sun is already shining. While you are eating breakfast and look outside, you suddenly realize that you are very tired and that you actually don’t feel like working today. But hey, that is not so strange. You have a really busy day ahead and a long to do list waiting for you. And this lovely weather makes you long for taking the day off.  “I’m just in need of a holiday”, you think. Which is logical. You have been really busy the past couple of months, both in your work and private life. And it will continue to be this busy until your holiday.

In the weeks after that morning you notice more often that you come home after work feeling low on energy. You notice that it happens more often that you don’t feel like working. You notice more things that annoy you at work. Things you normally do without much effort, now take you more effort and time. You get less energy from taking on new projects or tasks. Luckily it is almost time for your holiday.  And you really need this holiday!! Especially since you have worked extra hard to get things finished before the holiday. It might feel like you’ve reached the finish line of the marathon feeling completely worn out.

We take the before picture: Dead tired, no sparkle in your eyes.

The holiday
Yes… holiday! Mmm so lovely. No to do list for a while. Just time to relax and recharge. During the holiday weeks you feel your energy coming back. Thank goodness!

After the holiday
The holiday did so much for your energy. The after-the-holiday-picture is so different. It shows a relaxed, radiant, energetic you. Optimistic and with this new energy you go back to work on Monday. The first couple of days day you manage to keep this radiant, relaxed, energetic feeling. But then you notice that you very quickly loose this feeling again.
After this first week you already feel the same lack of energy as before the holiday. On top of that it seems like somebody switched on the amplifier. Things that you were annoyed with, that drained your energy before the holiday now seem to come back even louder, clearer and bigger. You can no longer reason these things away with: “I was so busy lately; I just need to recharge and relax”. That is what you just did!  You realise there is more to it. That you are indeed less happy at work. That you are working on willpower instead of joy.

Is this you? Then it is time to take action! 

Three actions you can take today! 

1)    Take a look at what is actually draining your energy and causing you to lose joy. Also take a look at what actually brings you energy and joy. What things can you change in your current job/ your way of working, that will help you experience more energy and joy in what you are doing? There is always something small thing you can do, that will make a difference in how much energy and joy you will feel. Make it small and start doing it today! You will be surprised at the big difference a small change can make!

2)    Maybe you know that this loss of energy and joy is a big sign that you should start looking for a different role, a different job, or a different organisation to work in. Then start doing something about that today! What is one small step you can take today that will bring you closer to a new role, job or work environment? Maybe it is putting your CV on a recruitment site, maybe it is making an appointment for a cup of coffee with someone who works in a job or organisation you might be interested in. Go on, take action! You deserve to feel energy and joy in your work!

3)    Maybe the reason you are still doing a job you no longer like because you just have no idea what you would love to do instead. You might feel you first have to find your passion or calling before you can take action. Since you haven’t figure out what your true passion or calling is, you don’t know what steps to take. You feel stuck. If this is you, then your first action is: Watch my free video training: The myths of finding your passion.  😊

Could you use help in finding more energy and joy in your work? 
I would love to help you discover what you need to feel more energy and joy. To help you find the small changes that will have a big impact. Small steps you can take so you can work with renewed energy and feel joyful and energized after a day’s work. I have people coming in for career coaching because they doubt whether or not their current job/ work environment is still suitable for them. Sometimes when we’ve worked on those small steps, their energy rises again and they can also reconnect with the joy of their work. So their doubts about the job disappear as well.

Sometimes more is needed. If it becomes clear that behind your energy loss is a longing to really change course, a longing to take a new career step or go into a new direction. Then we will take a twin-track approach. The first track is helping you to take care of yourself as best as possible in your current job. To make sure you feel as energized as possible. This will give you the energy and the space to also pursue the second track. This second track is about helping you to get really clear on what you do long for and it is about taking practical actions that will help you find your next job.

Just email me if you could use help with this. We can schedule a free call to explore your questions and we can talk about how I could help you. 

Wishing you a beautiful day full of energy and joy!