Back to work
Adult contact, lunches, work meetings – does it feel odd to be back at work after becoming a parent? While it's great to meet your work colleagues and get started again, you may be missing a certain little person. It can be tough. Sometimes it can also feel really depressing.
Those last few weeks or days at home just fly by. Before you know it, you're back at work. In some ways it's just as it was before, and yet everything is different.
Look after yourself/yourselves
It's important to look after yourself when you go back to work. It's easy to get stressed out because you want to be a great colleague and a fantastic parent.
Here are some tips:
• Lower your expectations of yourself in terms of being a parent and working the way you used to do. Things have changed, and you'll find new routines.
• Allow yourself to feel your emotions, whether you feel a lot or nothing at all. You're going through a huge upheaval in your life.
• Think about what's important. How do you want to and how can you prioritise both having a career and being a parent?
• Lower your ambitions and focus on what feels right and important. This is a very special time in your life, and it won't last forever.
• Talk to your partner about how to split everything that needs doing so you both have more energy for each other and the family. Remember that equality makes for long-lasting relationships.
Is everyone tired after work and nursery? Read our tips for handling the afternoon slump.
