10 Common Return-to-Work Concerns—and How to Mentally Prepare for Them

Hubbard recommends first making a list of your concerns about returning to a rigid routine. Ask yourself, “What do I anticipate will get in the way of being successful when I’m back at work?” and “What does my mind say won’t work well?” These answers can then help guide the strategies for what comes next.

One option is to make your case to your supervisor or manager, showing them how productive you have been at home and suggesting a flexible work schedule or hybrid option, Benjamin F. Miller, Psy.D., president of the national health foundation Well Being Trust, tells SELF. Of course, they could say no, and knowing how to advocate for yourself is in itself challenging, but it’s worth a try.

If making your case doesn’t work, or if you are not able or ready to ask, the next step is to shift your mindset, Hubbard says. “Rather than chasing the unattainable goal of trying to control things, think about what you can positively influence or impact.” For example, you might be less-than-thrilled about resuming your hour-long commute. Instead of just being annoyed, think about how you made the most of that extra time when you had it, and create a new purpose for your commute. If you’ve been using those hours to rest and relax, focus on decompressing activities during your revamped commute, like listening to a meditation podcast. It won’t solve everything, but it may help.

3. You’re worried you’ll lose the work-life balance you finally have.

For many, the pandemic has been a wake-up call that revealed how much we actually neglected our self-care before now, Brown says. Now, many of us have gotten a taste of better balance and aren’t ready to give it up.

The best way to maintain balance is to try to make it a priority, as easy as that is to say and hard to do. Start by asking yourself how you define balance and self-care, Hubbard says. Is it by certain activities, the number of activities, or the quality of them? Similarly, rank your self-care practices in order of importance, Brooke Huminski, L.I.C.S.W., a psychotherapist in private practice in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, tells SELF. Then, work as many as you can into your routine. For example, if you want to keep taking a yoga class and your schedule can be flexible, put it in your calendar so it’s a planned part of your day. Or, if your daily walks have been hugely helpful for you, try to still take a walk at lunch. 

This also means doing your absolute best to cut out things that don’t serve you. “There are only 24 hours in a day, and every time we say yes to something, we are taking time from something else we would have been doing, like engaging in rest and self-care,” Nicole Washington, D.O., M.P.H., chief medical officer of Elocin Psychiatric Services, tells SELF. She suggests tracking your time so you can then figure out which activities to replace with self-care.

And if you find yourself preemptively missing the balance you’ve found during this chaotic time, remember that you’ve proven this balance is possible. “You did it once under the enormous circumstances of quarantine, so you can do it again under the enormous circumstances of trying to transition back to work, Alfiee M. Breland-Noble, Ph.D., M.H.Sc., psychologist and founder of mental health nonprofit the AAKOMA project, tells SELF.

4. You’re worried about getting exhausted from socializing.

Even as an extrovert, as we reemerged, I noticed I was fatigued after socializing for one day when I used to be able to do it for days in a row. According to Dr. Washington, my experience is normal, and only worsened by the awkwardness of social interactions right now where we wonder, “Are we shaking hands?” and, “Am I standing too close?”