Post-vacation stress: how to adapt to work. new environment

Olesya, Good evening! I have an older brother, he is thirty-three years old. He never got along with girls, probably because he is taciturn and very notorious, still closed in himself. All this is hidden in hyperaccuracy and cleanliness in clothes and shoes. He is constant in everything, rarely that changes in life, unless life itself forces him. For example, he worked for a very long time, where he did not like it, as a result, he was fired, although he intended to do it himself for two years. He does not like the profession, but has been sitting at home for four months, reading prof. literature is almost never published. To any talk to change life, he argues that everything will be bad anyway. Mom and I just cry from the heart, what should we do? I know this is a problem from childhood, he was always told that he was not like everyone else, in a negative way. I think that he will not be able to open up with the advice of a psychologist, but I hope I'm wrong. Please tell me, if I help pay for his trainings, then where should he start? Or what else can I do for him? Deep down, there are fears that it could go to the point of suicide.

TheSolution psychologist's answer:

I understand your concern for your brother. He is now, indeed, a very difficult period in his life - a period of change. Your brother is in under stress and has difficulty adjusting.

Your brother does not leave the house because the constant environment calms him. The fact is that in a situation of stress, certain forms of deep fear are activated in a person. In people prone to constancy, the main deep fear is fear of new and fear of change. Your brother is one of those people who needs more time to cope with change than, say, a person who is afraid of permanence. It's neither good nor bad, it's just its response to stress. Other people — with different forms of underlying fear — have different ways of responding to stress.

Fear of upcoming changes in life is natural.

Your brother can be helped. There are proven psychological ways to deal with stress the right way. First, he must know that the fear of change is natural. There are no people who endure life changes easily. Some are a little easier, some are a little harder. But all people in such cases have typical stress reactions- either a feeling of fear, or a feeling of anxiety (everything will be bad) and depression.

Very important in stressful situations track your levels of anxiety and depression with clinical tests. At a level of more than 48 points and more than 57 points, you will need to additionally consult with a psychotherapist in person. If the level of anxiety and depression does not exceed these figures, then you can cope with stress psychological ways, no drugs.

It takes time to adapt to change

Every person needs some time to adapt and get used to the new situation. Try not to rush your brother, give him time to recover and adjust to the situation. Let him take two, three or four months to think about how he wants to live in the future. Let him ask himself questions: where does he see himself in five or seven years? Does he want to have children and a family by this time? How much money will he need to support them? What car does he want to drive by now? Does he want to live separately or continue to live with his parents in 5-7 years? Perhaps he never thought about it, never asked himself such questions. Perhaps your brother simply does not know that you can build your own life, but to actively influence the circumstances of one's life. The answers to the above questions will help him comprehend his desires, give him strength take the first step to the future.

You can control the pace of change with a strategy of small steps

Our decisions in a situation of change are very similar to the decision to swim in an unfamiliar river. Agree that jumping into the water from a bridge without knowing either the depth of the river or the temperature of the water is perhaps reckless. You can always do things differently. For example, go to the shore and put your palm into the water. To think and only then make a decision - to lower the whole hand there or not. Neither in a relationship with a girl, nor in a working relationship, you need to "jump from the bridge." You can try, then understand whether you like it or not - only then make a preliminary decision. If a move towards change slowly and in small steps- Easier to avoid failure.

The support of loved ones in a situation of uncertainty gives a person confidence in the future.

Your brother will feel better if he understands that he is loved and support in the family always: and when everything is fine with him, and when everything is not going well. Do not demand great achievements and quick 100% success from your brother. All this he will have, just him need time to prepare.

Your brother may be very worried about the very possibility of failure, and on emotional reasons refuse to act when there is no guarantee of a 100% successful result. He can reproach himself for not being able to be perfect person, which easily and quickly solves the problem of any complexity. Don't demand "perfect" from him.

It is important to learn the courage to face failure.

After every failure get up, then take one small step forward. Perhaps this is the most important skill that will help your brother get out of a state of stress and begin to act. In order for your brother to believe in himself and his abilities, you can advise him to read the book by Nick Vuychich "Life without limits". This book helps you understand how cope with despair, feelings of failure and the stress of change. You can also visit TED.com to learn about his complicated history. Nick has inspired more than five million people with his experience. His way of getting up after hard experiences touched the hearts of many people. Maybe, this video will give you courage and your brother.

You can read the book by M. J. Ryan "This year I ... How to change habits, keep promises or do what you have long dreamed of." This book is about how not to be afraid of change and find your own "formula for success" in order to make your life better, achieve your goals and implement your plans. It is about how to recognize the negative beliefs that prevent you from taking action.

After reading this book, if your brother wishes, he can consult a psychologist. The task of the psychologist through support and disclosure of his strengths help him believe in himself.

A psychologist can help with career guidance and systematic life planning.

It would be much easier for your brother if he used special exercises for reduce stress from uncertainty. In his case, the following sequence of sessions with a psychologist may be useful. First do ", in order for the psychologist to look at his inclinations, abilities, skills and chose the activities that suit him. Then complete the program

Source: RBC

Return to active life after the summer vacation - the strongest stress for the body. Not without reason, entering into a working rhythm, many feel even more tired and irritable than before they left to rest. Is it possible to avoid such problems?

According to scientists, the reason lies in psychology and physiology. In two weeks, the human body greatly relaxes: as soon as he has time to get used to the rest, he has to go back to work. This is what leads to stress. Its manifestations are different: some become nervous, irritable and quick-tempered, while others experience apathy, absent-mindedness, drowsiness, depression and melancholy.

"Regardless of where you rested, in the country or in United Arab Emirates, change of place, activity, atmosphere, time zones, diet affect your condition. However, the human body is a powerful self-healing system, and if desired, you can always put it in order. nervous system, normalize sleep," says psychologist and writer Natalya Tolstaya.

Experts cite several reasons post-vacation stress. One of them is dislike for work or fatigue from the profession. Weakness after rest due to failure biological rhythms. Every person has 24 hour The biological clock, with the help of which the phases of sleep are regulated. If you have moved too far from your time zone, then the body will definitely fail: the day is confused with the night, there are pressure drops, pain in the heart, attention and memory deteriorate.

During the rest, many people change their usual geographical and climatic region, which also affects the processes taking place in the body. In the southern latitudes, a person suffers from unusual heat, stuffiness, humidity or lack of oxygen. The duration of acclimatization is influenced by various factors: age, state of health, features of this geographical area. After returning home, the reverse adaptation of the body begins, which proceeds painfully and harshly. There comes disorientation in time and space, stress, followed by depression. The more comfortable you feel on vacation, the harder it is to adapt.

In order for the infusion into work to be painless, psychologists recommend that you carefully consider your summer vacation, plan everything in such a way as to return home 3-4 days before going to work. This will help to establish a sleep schedule (sleep duration should be at least 8 hours), adapt to the urban climate, to the familiar environment, and sort out the accumulated household chores.

According to experts, in the first three days after a vacation, you can afford a little buildup, for example, look through documents, study the situation that has developed during your absence, remember what you did before leaving, and draw up an action plan. The main thing is not to immediately rush into battle, everything should be in moderation, the efficiency of your work will still be lower than usual.

In spite of vivid impressions from rest, it is better not to discuss this topic with colleagues, as this may cause their irritation or envy, perhaps their vacation was not as successful as yours. "Chattering at work will not please your superiors, and besides, not everyone likes to listen to stories. If you come to work with albums, start the day with tea and end it with the words:" What a terrible place at work! negative energy in the office," says N. Tolstaya. No need to live with memories and think that the next vacation will not come soon, such thoughts will only worsen the working mood.

The type of rest also affects the process of adaptation to the work process. How more active rest the easier it is to return to work. During the rest, you should keep yourself in good shape: swim, walk, go on excursions, communicate with interesting people. People who play sports not only during leisure, but also in ordinary life, quickly adapt to work, flights, change of scenery and recover from illness.

In order for the body to return to its usual mode, experts advise to follow the diet (bananas, oranges and dark chocolate are very useful), sleep more (try to sleep an hour earlier during the day and in the evening) and take a contrast shower (improves the cardiovascular system).

Becoming financially independent means, more often than not, finding a job. But this is only half the battle on the way to gaining a foothold in your workplace and start climbing career ladder. It will take a trial period, a period of adaptation to the new conditions.

Arrival or transition to new job The process is always stressful and difficult. This is especially true for the first working day. In other words, "as you harness, so you will go." Most middle managers involved in the selection of personnel in companies believe that the main factor in the successful adaptation of a new employee in a team is the level of accessibility of the "newcomer" to information related to work in a particular workplace. For this, special programs are even being created that will help a new person protect himself from stressful situations and show your full potential.

First day of work

On the first day of work new person really needs the support of an employee of the personnel department or, as it is commonly called today, the HR department. The new colleague is given attention in order to create in his mind positive attitude for further work, to minimize his psycho-emotional load. After all, the goal of the HR department is to retain staff.

On the other hand, without the efforts of a newcomer in the same direction, an HR employee is unlikely to be able to achieve this.

Note! A “newcomer” is simply obliged not only to show interest, activity (willingly gets acquainted with colleagues, with the generally accepted rules of this team, with the nature and volume of his work), but also independently set himself up mentally for a positive result.

We need to concentrate our forces due to the fact that the first working day is full of events and large quantity information, the need to understand the structure of the company, the features of the business process, the style of work of the immediate supervisor.

The result of such bilateral work largely depends on the scale of the organization, the volume and complexity of the tasks that it faces. In a small business company, any nearest employee can familiarize a new colleague with the rules. In a large organization, you will probably need the help of a specialist with a broader profile in order to new employee was not limited only by his duties, he was able to clarify for himself main goal set by the corporation. This will help him evaluate the role of his work, his duties in common cause. Not to mention the fact that a beginner needs to be shown and told where everything is, how to find the necessary departments, who to contact on certain issues. In turn, the colleagues of the department supplement the general information with details.

For the period of adaptation to a beginner, it is useful to attach a personal mentor, who, if necessary, can be contacted for useful advice who will answer any question at any time. After all, questions begin to arise only in the process of work. At first, a newcomer can often be embarrassed in front of management or afraid to distract colleagues from work. But a wrong decision or a wrong act out of ignorance can cause much more harm not only to a beginner, but also to the common cause.

Tactics of behavior

In the environment familiar to us, we know exactly what to do to solve the problems that we face. In a new team, in order to feel like a “fish in the water”, it is important to know how to behave in order for the adaptation to be successful, to know what is more important - maintaining your own work style, own rules and habits or the application of a generally accepted style of work in a given team.

Note! HR specialists believe that it is very important to adhere to the “golden” mean, which involves the manifestation of individuality.

It can be very useful for improving the style of work of the team of the department and the company as a whole. From the very beginning, this fact can significantly “work” in favor of a beginner, raise his rating, if, of course, there is a healthy psychological atmosphere in the team. This will facilitate communication with colleagues, superiors. You can not ignore their proposals to take part in a joint dinner or conversation on abstract topics, for example, in a smoking room. Overcoming stiffness in the process of such contacts contributes to the speedy getting used to the new environment.

Secrets of successful adaptation

The secrets of successful adaptation are to, without showing much zeal, to fulfill their duties diligently, responsibly. The desire to please you immediately, from the first days, will do more harm than bring you closer to success in the team. It has long been known that not a single team accepts "upstarts" who "stick out from own opinion". It is useful to wait until colleagues endowed with experience speak out, and then (better at their request) join the discussion.

And what you should not do at all is to delve into the process of gossip and, moreover, take sides in squabbles on topics that arose on the basis of events occurring before the newcomer appeared in this team.

Only the desire to learn, the ability to painlessly accept criticism, patience, a friendly attitude towards everyone without exception, a moderate sense of humor will help you quickly become your own person in a new team.

It's no secret that the appearance of a new colleague arouses special interest in him of the entire team, which consists of very different people, including very cocky ones. They will definitely try to test you "for strength", exacerbating the discomfort that you experience. For old-timers, a newcomer to the team is a fresh opportunity to add adrenaline, an opportunity to stand out, increase their self-esteem, and feel like an experienced mentor.

This is especially true for large companies that have already become conservative, with a well-established composition of colleagues who have managed to overcome many professional barriers, who have managed to get used to each other, and possibly get tired of each other.

Note! In such conditions, it is important not only to fulfill one's duties with high quality, but also to acquire a “strong back”, find like-minded people and, with their help, create a solid professional ground.

Mobbing

Rejection of the new employee has acquired modern name- mobbing. This phenomenon can be assessed as office hazing, persecution or persecution of the unsettled. Moreover, such a phenomenon can be observed not only on the part of ordinary employees, but also on the part of managers. The manifestation of such an unhealthy atmosphere in the team forced, for example, Sweden to develop a special anti-mobbing law.

Consequence of mobbing generated by fear and internal stress in a team, according to research by European specialists from HR departments, there may be stressful conditions, headaches, insomnia, nightmares, detachment, doubts, guilt, shame and even paranoia and suicide (in 10% of cases). What is the way out?

First of all, you should:

analyze your behavior
improve your professionalism;
observe what is happening in the group.

Research has determined the degree of harmfulness of some habits that are useful to know about: useless conversation with colleagues and a tendency to gossip; frequent smoking; obsessive, tactless and irresponsible behavior; being late; loud speech, especially on the phone on a personal topic; meal in work time; laziness; carelessness with negligence and such vices as arrogance, lies, stupidity, denunciations and rudeness.

Forbidden tactics of behavior in a team

There is no doubt that the art of entering into a group requires effort. It can always be reduced. It is very easy to turn colleagues against yourself, because those who want to use the “who is new” tactic are found very quickly. To do this, let's start from the opposite and list the tricks that should become taboo for a beginner.

When going to work, stock up on “equipment” in the form of a block of chewing gum, a bag of seeds, perfume with a pungent smell, bright nail polish, which ladies will use without hesitation and only during working hours. Use this "arsenal" purely individually, without sharing with anyone.
Frankly demonstrate that you have a "fancy" mobile phone with loud speakers that can break through any walls and partitions in the office with their decibels. Receiving and sending calls should occur hourly and exclusively without tactfully leaving the office.

Demonstrate your "unstoppable" performance by the end of the day with a delay in the office after working hours. This will allow all colleagues to finally “realize” what kind of loafers they are.
Other people's lighters, office paper, pens, rulers, erasers ... that you grab when you go home will always come in handy for your home life.
Choose the warmest and most comfortable for you workplace not forgetting to open the window in the office often.

Well, and something else in a similar manner ... At first glance, it would seem that there is nothing particularly serious in the actions mentioned above, let alone criminal. But life, as we know, is made up of little things, and hostility, as a rule, is gradually born from them. Your colleagues will not even be able to formulate an answer to the question why they dislike you so steadily.

Note! An important task facing a new employee in a new team for him is to learn to analyze his actions and highlight those that cause a negative reaction from colleagues.

Comprehending the art of communication, it is quite possible to acquire the skills to overcome obstacles in solving the sometimes difficult problem - how to adapt to a new team.

The cries of seagulls, the sound of the sea, the beauty of the mountains were replaced by the bustle of the office and the calls of incessant customers ... The vacation is over.

No one needs a vacation as much as a freshly rested one. Paradox, you say? You are wrong. For many, the end of vacation and return to work is associated with torment and torment.

The topic is a very delicate one. Our body is pretty stressed, getting into new conditions. After all, he needs to completely reorganize under environment. A vacationer, directly from an airplane, throwing himself under the scorching rays of the southern sun, does more harm to the body than good. So before leaving back, it is necessary to stay in the sun as little as possible, minimizing physical and emotional stress. In the same mode, one should exist for the first days upon return. Do not immediately rush to do spring cleaning or zealously perform official duties. It is better to take a little walk around your favorite city, read books or magazines, watch funny TV shows.

Truth 1. Medical scientists have found that the minimum duration of a full vacation is keyword"complete"! - twenty-one days. The week relies on the vacation period, the second - on the restoration of resources depleted over the year and the third - is necessary for adaptation after the vacation and return to the usual way of life. And this is the minimum. We often do not use it, being content with a maximum of 10-14 days of vacation, which means that we just do not have enough weeks to adapt to the pre-holiday life.

Truth 2. The speed of return to working condition also depends on the degree of responsibility of the employee. The more responsibility, the less time is needed for post-holiday "buildup". It is curious that in the question adaptation after vacation temperament also plays an important role. It is just useful for an energetic choleric person to break a vacation into two parts (longer vacations will simply tire you), and it will be possible to switch from work to rest in 2-3 days.

A slow phlegmatic person and a sensitive melancholic person should rest for a long time, with feeling and arrangement - they should take a whole vacation so that they can get used to the weather and early awakenings already in the home format for 5-7 days.

Sanguine people - by the way, they are not in vain ranked as workaholics - are sometimes limited to just a couple of days of vacation, after which recovery is not required at all.

Truth 3 . It also happens that immediately after leaving the vacation "have to" get sick. It turns out that this is a kind of defensive reaction of the body, a classic trick is to extend your vacation (often this kind of attack is attributed to acclimatization). Of course, no one canceled housework even for “sick” ladies, but you don’t have to go to work. It turns out that the disease allows you to make the transition to the current being softer.

Truth 4 . For the first days at work, try not to overwork and go to bed early to make up for the lack of energy.

Truth 5. Psychologists strongly advise you to go to work not from Monday, but on Wednesday-Thursday - so you have time to adapt to work and not get tired of the first days. In other words, set aside Monday-Tuesday for unhurried unpacking of suitcases, getting used to the weather and the rhythm of your hometown.

Truth 6. An ardent desire to clear all the “blockages” at once will not lead to good. Having crossed the threshold of the office, do not rush to the "idle" work. Otherwise, the feeling of panic and horror from the scale of unfinished work will overtake you even more blues. For the first time, it is better to spend the days “at the barre” calmly - a warm-up is important for any start.

Try to plan so that you practice first simple things: deal with the mail, put things in order on the table, order the necessary stationery, meet new employees, find out in detail what your colleagues were doing while you were resting. The second day can be taken up by planning your actions for the coming days, weeks, months. And then you can get to work.

Truth 7. German scientists have found that a person who has spent a couple of weeks on the beach has a coefficient intellectual development drops by 20 points. However, you should not think too bad of yourself or write a letter of resignation if it seems to you that during the vacation you have become a little ... dumber. Upon returning, IQ will quickly recover - this is a matter of a few days. Unless, of course, you begin to hang in “contact”, endlessly reviewing your vacation photos.

Truth 8. The hormones of happiness - endorphins - will help keep your mood in good shape and hold out for the first few days. During the holidays, they were produced by themselves, at the expense of positive emotions and rest, and now you have to "supply" them to the body from the outside. Best endorphin carriers: dark chocolate, bananas, persimmons, green onions. You can also drink a course of vitamins or sedatives.

Truth 9 . You can brighten up the first days after going to work by “prolonging” your vacation. For example, in free time(in the evening, on weekends) do what you didn’t have time on vacation: read a book that “traveled” in a suitcase in vain, watch a melodrama or comedy taken on vacation, arrange a fun bachelorette party that was planned for vacation. This will help prolong the feeling of vacation without the expense of a hectic work rhythm.

Truth 10. French psychologist Jean-Claude Liauet found that we tend to “humanize” our office by consciously transferring our relationship to it, just as we did with our parents when we were children. In other words, we hold our work responsible for our sorrows and joys. But work is just work (in Western culture this is called work-life balance). Remind yourself that work, of course, obliges, but you are internally independent and can change these relationships for others - the main thing is that you like it.

Truth 11 . Set yourself new ones, for example, buying a new phone, car, etc. .

Recreation is undoubtedly an important part of our lives. Once a year, we get the opportunity to take a break from our daily duties and gain new experiences. But this time will pass with benefit or cause harm, entirely depends on you!

As said wise Confucius: do what you love to do, and there will not be a single working day in your life.