What are your tips/suggestions for a Stress-Free return to work after vacation/holidays ?

I think one could be, reminding ourselves that we are blessed to have our bread and butter. Another working week, another chance to pursue our calling and purpose. :)

my approach is to hit the return to work hard... make sure day 1 is as good as possible... push yourself the maximum... in the end it's about getting back in the habit.

Good question! Before I leave, I note down the things I should check in on when I'm back. It helps me get everything out of my head and switch off. On returning, I try to keep the first day meeting-free to catch up on emails and read up on what's been going on. It's tempting to jump straight back into it, but from personal experience I find that can make me flustered and feel like a headless chicken. Also seconding what a few other people have said already - making sure you have at least a day or two after returning from holiday to settle back into being at home, without working. Jumping straight from holiday to work can feel too jarring.

Try planning what your return will look like before you leave for vacation. This makes returning less of an unknown and can provide some solid ground to land on. I understand this isn't always possible (with changing deadlines and projects etc.) but it's good to try.

If you are away for the holidays, make sure to come back in the morning or a day early so that you have some time to settle in back at home. I find that the times I come back on Sunday evening are much more stressful and not worth the extra time away.

After a vacation, you often see mountains of work in front of you, and it's scary. And when you're scared, you don't want to do anything. Start small - start the work process, and then everything will go on as usual. Set yourself a small, unintimidating task like "write a short article" or "sort out the mess on your desktop" and do it. It gets more accessible from there. You'll do one more task, and then you'll get caught up in the workflow.

I think the best one is to prepare the things you're going to need for work the evening before. Make a to-do list in the morning, stretch your body or go on a short walk/jog before the job, and finally encourage yourself - you can do it, you are awesome! That's some morning motivation that can really make you less stressed and more productive. Btw everyone, we’re launching in late April or the start of May. Check out our upcoming PH page: www.producthunt.com/upcoming/eff... Our project is called: Effecto. It’s an app for detailed health tracking. Pretty much for everything that is related to your physical or mental health and every daily factor that can affect you.

Find time for exercise. Exercise helps relieve stress, and it will also make you feel more focused when it comes time to go back to work.

I heard a recommendation that seems right: if you can, take one day on your return to still be on PTO, but work on "transition back" items: everything from personal (laundry) to catching up on email backlog at work.

hit it hard, and rip off the bandaid. Also to echo @pablo_fatas, when out of town, make sure to get back in a day early. Fly back on saturday, use sunday to recuperate so that Monday morning doesnt slap you too hard If you still have some momentum issues, use the space you created with your vacation to double check your priorities and ensure your putting effort where impact is high, work smarter and harder.