FOR most people, this week means a return to work.

And again, for most people, that reality can be a little hard to digest after two weeks on the couch watching the cricket/camping and jet skiing at Fraser Island/nightclubbing with old friends in Sydney/fill in the blank etc.

It's not nice, but it's necessary and everyone goes through it.

Some cope a little better than others, so for those who find the thought of the holiday being over a monumental nightmare, here are a couple of tips that may help take the edge off.

Prioritise

Don't rush into it. If you have a thousand emails to go through, take your time and attend to them. Pick your most important tasks for the day and concentrate on them. Don't overdo it, which might cause undue stress. Remember, everyone else is most likely in the same position as you.

Coffee

Sure you start everyday like this and it helps, so why change anything. Get a good strong coffee into you, march in like you haven't been away at all and get stuck in.

Meetings

Whether they are internal or external, a good-old catch-up meeting is a great way to pass some time on your first day back. Spend a good hour wandering around to everyone you work with, offering them a happy new year handshake and a catch up about what they got up to over the break. If your workplace remained open over the Christmas/New Year break, find out who worked through and chat to them about anything you might have missed. Call clients, customers, suppliers for a yarn about the holidays. Before you know it, home time.

Relax

Grab a footspa and put it under your desk to ease away some of those return-to-work blues. Light a scented candle (if you're allowed) or plug in the diffuser with some aromatic relaxing scent. Even pop on a little whale song music and meditate through the mountain of emails and tasks on your plate.

Planning

Start looking ahead straightaway. Give yourself something to look forward to. It's never to early to start thinking about your next holiday. Book flights or if the bank balance is a little stretched, at least check prices and get back to it. Make a plan about what you'd like to achieve on your next break, maybe those little (or big) things you didn't get done this time around.

Stay off social media

There's nothing worse than seeing happy snaps of those lucky ones still living it up in the sunshine. Seeing photos of someone's freshly-caught 100 pound Mangrove Jack will not make things any easier at all. Put a social media ban on until you're back in the comfort of your own couch.

Take it easy

Don't sign up for a double shift or overtime on your first day back, that's just asking for trouble. If anything, you want to leave a little earlier if possible, to let your body and absent mind re-adjust.

Out of office

Sure you're back in the workplace, but there's no need to broadcast it just yet. Leave the out-of-office on your email for a few more days. This will give you a little more time to ease back into things. Don't worry, the important people will know you're back, it's everyone else who can leave you alone until you're back to 100% 2018 work mode.

Cry

Why not? Let it all out. Get it out of the way and get on with it. There are bills to pays and mouths to feed and they're not going to wait. You've been doing it for years, this is no different.

Chuck a sickie

Don't go in at all. Extend your holiday by a few days and use up a few of those sick days. Starting your week on Wednesday is so much better than shuffling in on a Monday after a two-week seafood and alcohol binge.