May sickness (五月病 Gogatsu Byou) is not an official medical condition, but has a psychological basis. People in Japan are prone to this sickness after the Golden Week holidays. The primary cause is adjusting back to work or school after a long holiday. Symptoms tend to include no motivation to work or study, loss of appetite, insomnia and so on. These tend to worsen and could lead to absence from work or school.
That sounds horrible, isn't there anyway to prevent this?
Yes, there are some prevention strategies, which I will be sharing here!
1. Avoid lowering of Self-Esteem
People who have high self-esteem with regards to work/school generally are less prone to May sickness as they are able to adjust better.
Set daily goals for yourself. Create a to-do list of tasks and put a tick when you have completed them. Being able to track your progress makes you feel better about yourself and witnessing the completion of each task brings about fulfillment.
2. Confide in a trusted friend
Find someone you can talk to about anything, even ranting about things that frustrate you! There are times at work where you have to keep your opinions to yourself. Bottling up your feelings all the time will result in accumulated stress so it is good to have someone to talk to.
3. Exercise regularly
Exercising helps to improve your mood. Find ways to include exercise into your daily life such as walking instead of taking public transport, taking the stairs instead of the lift, etc
4. Eat balanced meals
This ensures that your body has enough nutrition to function well and helps in your performance at work/school.
That sounds horrible, isn't there anyway to prevent this?
Yes, there are some prevention strategies, which I will be sharing here!
1. Avoid lowering of Self-Esteem
People who have high self-esteem with regards to work/school generally are less prone to May sickness as they are able to adjust better.
Set daily goals for yourself. Create a to-do list of tasks and put a tick when you have completed them. Being able to track your progress makes you feel better about yourself and witnessing the completion of each task brings about fulfillment.
2. Confide in a trusted friend
Find someone you can talk to about anything, even ranting about things that frustrate you! There are times at work where you have to keep your opinions to yourself. Bottling up your feelings all the time will result in accumulated stress so it is good to have someone to talk to.
3. Exercise regularly
Exercising helps to improve your mood. Find ways to include exercise into your daily life such as walking instead of taking public transport, taking the stairs instead of the lift, etc
4. Eat balanced meals
This ensures that your body has enough nutrition to function well and helps in your performance at work/school.
