After a baby, life changes exponentially.
You have less free time, a renewed focus on ensuring your future’s stability and you’re a whole lot more tired than you used to be.
That in mind, heading back to work might be the last thing on your mind, or the very first thing on your mind. A change of scenery and getting back into the rhythm of things might be refreshing after all.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that jumping from home life right back into your career can be a little jarring for some people and so we have a few tips and steps to make the transition a little bit easier.
Take a look at our steps for heading back to work as a new mom.
Understand Your Position and Be Patient
Off the top, the most important step from us is being self-aware and having a little self-care when it comes to getting back into work.
You have been through a lot and that means giving yourself a break when things get tough, and so taking breaks and easing back into things is certainly something you want to do. Nobody at work will expect you to leap back into things as if you’ve just come back from vacation, so keep this in mind!
Slow, steady and controlled is the way to go here — and this doesn’t warrant any self-deprecating thoughts either.
Setting All-new Boundaries
Our second tip is to understand that boundary-setting is okay!
There is a good chance you will want to have a little extra wiggle room in your schedule now that you’re a new mum, and so asking or setting boundaries for yourself and your work life is essential.
You may want to consider working one less day a week, or reducing your daily workload by leaving an hour or two early each day for the first few weeks, and then slowly get back into your normal schedule over the course of a month or so.
As outlined in Upksilled’s article, you should also know your rights when it comes to changing these schedules and using these to get the work timeframe you desire.
Have Faith in Childcare
Whether you’re sending your little one off to childcare or having friends or family members take care of them — then trust these people!
You want to be able to focus on the tasks at hand, rather than being concerned about whether the newest member of the family is looked after or not, and with that in mind, having some faith and trust in the people you leave your child with is essential.
In all, you want to be able to relax and not think about how your little one is doing when you’re at work — at least to the point where you become unproductive.
Set Realistic Exceptions
Another key point to keep in mind is that you’re not going to leap back into your old self when you get back to work.
That said, you will have to be honest and realistic with yourself about what you can achieve in your likely tired and potentially burnt-out state.
Don’t be stuck overworking yourself to reach deadlines that aren’t designed for your situation and simply do your best with the time and the energy that you have at the moment.
No one is going to be looking down on your for this, and so use this time and these expectations to build yourself back up.
About the Author
Lucy Mitchell is the content manager at Current.com.au. From Sydney, Australia, Lucy specialises in home improvement, DIY and tech writing. She loves staying up to date with industry news so she can bring well researched, timely and accurate information to her readers.
LifeAsMama
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