Feeling so anxious to be back at work

[anotheryear2]

I start work again tomorrow morning and am feeling so anxious - I feel extremely nervous with butterflies in my stomach and also feel sick.

There are lots of daunting tasks and emails that I put off doing/replying to last year because I couldn't face them. Now I don't have a choice as deadlines are approaching.

I'm currently doing weekly CBT via Zoom for my anxiety and have an amazing therapist, but life is very hectic with young DC and I struggle to find the time to do the exercises. I'm wondering whether I'd be better off just going onto Sertraline or something similar due to lack of time.

Does anyone else get really anxious before going back to work?

I think most people who have a heavy flow of emails to deal with feel exactly the same!

Keep a To Do list and make yourself write all the stuff you need to do on it so nothing gets overlooked. That provides reassurance that you’ve not forgotten anything.

Then prioritise it 1,2,3 etc so you know what to do first. Tick off when done. Rewrite the list when it gets messy.

I found that making a start on things helped me as it was like baby steps, eg set up the spreadsheet with the colours and columns in it today and start working out what needs included tomorrow. Baby steps.

Plus if my manager asked I could honestly say yes I’ve started that spreadsheet task just recently. However I’m having to reprioritise on a daily basis due to urgent tasks but I have started.