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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director)
Medical validation:
August 27, 2024
Monday, 8:00 a.m. Time to say goodbye to vacation and hello to work! But how can you handle this change of pace with brio? What can you do to boost your mood and your fitness? The answer, from Dr. Gérald Kierzek.
The sunny holidays and lie-ins are over, it’s time to get back to work. But while you’re full of good intentions (or at least you try to convince yourself of that), waking up is painful. How can you reverse the balance and get up on the right side of the bed? Dr. Gérald Kierzek, medical director of Doctissimo, reveals his best tips.
Getting back into your routine, an often difficult step
As usual, this summer, you have (brilliantly) managed to disconnect. But when the return to work is just around the corner, the change of pace is brutal… and often accompanied by (great) fatigue, or even temporary depression.
This is what we call the post-holiday blues, an illness that affects 20% of French people.
“Summer vacations give way to creativity and the discovery of new things that tend to challenge our own lives. This time of summer break is thus favorable to introspection. However, this introspection arouses anxiety when we know that what awaits us when we go back to school has nothing to do with what we dream of when we are on vacation”psychologist Matthieu Poirot told us in a previous interview.
Anxiety, coupled with great fatigue, when sleeping in has to be replaced by early morning wake-ups and quickly swallowed coffees. Enough to put you in a bad mood.
Fortunately, this condition is not permanent and can easily be corrected, reveals Dr. Gérald Kierzek.
Getting up in good shape and on the right side of the bed: yes, it’s possible!
To reverse the balance and get off on the right foot, a few good reflexes are essential, says the medical director of Doctissimo.
- Set your alarm gradually: “Advance your alarm time by 20 to 30 minutes each day before you return to work to accustom your body to a new rhythm,” advises Dr Gérald Kierzek ;
- Sleep routine: “Go to bed and get up at regular times, even during vacations, to avoid disrupting your body clock.“, recommends the expert;
- Get moving when you wake up (no snooze button): “Practice some stretching (like cats) or a short gymnastics session to activate your body and increase your body temperature“, recommends the specialist;
- Hydrate yourself: “Drink a glass of warm water as soon as you wake up to rehydrate your body after a night’s sleep,” notes the practitioner;
- Avoid sleeping in: “Limit late nights and late waking up to avoid accumulating fatigue,” says the medical director;
- Prepare your day the day before: “Organize your affairs and plan your day to reduce stress in the morning,” details the emergency doctor ;
- Eat a balanced diet and avoid alcohol in the evening: “Resume a healthy and regular diet to stabilize your energy and improve your concentration,” advocates Dr. Gérald Kierzek ;
- Limit screens before bed: “Avoid electronic devices at least one hour before bed to promote faster and better quality sleep,” recommends the expert ;
- Also avoid rushing “on your messages/screens in the morning…”, assures the specialist ;
- Expose yourself to the light “(and in the air) of the day): breathe, smell the air…“, suggests the medical director of Doctissimo;
- Be positive: “Have a positive attitude and set simple goals for the day to start your return to work with motivation and energy,” recommends, in conclusion, Dr Gérald Kierzek.
Slideshow: 12 tips to boost your return to school