Everyone Is Miserable Right Now, So Here Are 64 Funny Posts About Returning To Work

After a week or two of festivities, most of our brains have tricked themselves into forgetting that instinctive dread of an email notification. But halfway through the workweek, that familiar feeling of exhaustion and frustration has set in.

So some folks decided to cope with their situation and share their best, funniest, and most relatable thoughts on X (formerly Twitter.) So if you are feeling a similar amount of despair, get as comfortable as you can, refill your coffee, and scroll through. Be sure to upvote your favorites and share your thoughts, feelings, and ideas below.

#1

Image credits: DrakeGatsby

#2

Image credits: joshcarlosjosh

#3

Image credits: InHollywoodland

As sad as it sounds, post-vacation blues, or, more accurately, post-travel depression (PTD), is a measurable psychological issue that workers face all around the world. While it’s sometimes a result of coming down from the “high” of travel, more often than not, the need to return to a steady, day-to-day job is the real culprit.

Often enough it goes unnoticed. After all, how often do you speak with your coworkers about their mental health? At the same time, a person suffering from PTD might feel ashamed talking about it to people at work. Who wants to highlight how time off made them sad when talking to people who were working the entire time?

#4

Image credits: SussexWildlife

#5

Image credits: icy__gee

#6

Image credits: townsendyesmate

However, since around this time of year, many people are going through the same thing, there is a sort of critical mass that reveals just how depressing going back to work after some “freedom” can be. If it’s any consolation, this feeling tends not to last too long, unless you deeply despise your job, in which case, a similar negative emotion was likely in place anyway.

#7

Image credits: jrzdl

#8

Image credits: adamgreattweet

#9

Image credits: toddowyoung

Some folks recommend “simply” always having a vacation planned, so you have something to be striving towards, regardless of where one is in the year. Psychologists suggest that knowing that something will end at some point often helps a person “push” through difficult times, even if it’s in the distant future.

#10

Image credits: corporatebish

#11

Image credits: JazzyPboy

#12

Image credits: dalaimo13

In general, PTD remains an understudied phenomenon, mostly because it can be hard to measure. People might not be honest about their holidays, they might have already recovered or it might be hard to prove that it’s precisely post-holiday blues that are getting them down. Nevertheless, there has been some research done on the topic, with one study reporting that up to 57% of Brits experience it.

#13

Image credits: RealistAaron_1

#14

Image credits: camilli_amilli

#15

Image credits: aubsburr

Not to mention, the time off on the holidays can often be just enough to make you forget. The pre-holiday period is full of plans one hastily makes for “next year” without quite internalizing the fact that next year is often just a handful of days away. So when those emails begin to roll in, it can get pretty exhausting.