Returning To Work After Having A Baby: A Compassionate Guide

Why a compassionate guide? Well, it’s because you’ve just done something amazing! Something that has taken a significant toll on your body and emotions, and as much as you love and are amazing at your job it can be a tough thing to transition back into. Luckily, there are some ways that you can make it easier on yourself, keep reading the post below to find out what they are.

Don’t set yourself up to fail.

We want it all, don’t we? The family, the home, the career and all the other stuff in life that is important to us. Of course, there is nothing wrong with having challenging goals and high standards. However, there is a difference between high standards and perfectionism. In fact perfectionism a state that you struggle to get to and then can desperately try to hold onto, feeling that it is all about to come crashing down around your shoulders.

Not much fun by anyone’s standards, and trying to be perfect when you are making the return back to work from maternity can do a lot more harm than good. In fact, by expecting perfection you can be setting yourself up to fail, so have a little compassion for yourself and permit yourself to not be perfect during this challenging time.

Boost your confidence.

It can often be the case that being out of the workforce is a confidence sapper for new moms. Yeah, sure they got little one to feed when they were fussy and survived all those nights with just 3 hours sleep. However, when it comes to work, they can feel out of touch and unsure of their own abilities.

Of course, this is more about how we feel that the reality of the situation because it’s likely you have previously proved yourself time and time again at work. However, there are somethings you can do to give yourself an extra jolt of confidence to help during this transitional time.

One is to attend your contact days as much as possible so you can keep up with your firm and how they are doing. Another is to take some time to further your education in your field by doing things like this online MBA program that you can fit around your baby care responsibilities. In fact, by studying for a qualification in your area or making a concerted effort to keep up to date with the latest research and trends, you can help to shake off any returning work confidence issues that may arise.

Allow yourself to re-evaluate your work life.

Lastly, to truly be compassionate to yourself when you return to work it’s vital that you allow yourself the opportunity to reevaluate how your workload is affecting you.

This may include increasing or decreasing your hours and days, or it may be that you look for another position or go after that promotion you have always wanted. There are no one size fits all answers here, and what your friends do may not be the right fit for you. However, to be truly compassionate yourself as you return to work you must allow yourself to pursue a career route that makes you happy.

** This is a collaborative post **