Beat the back-to-work blues

You probably know the feeling. Monday morning comes around, you're getting ready for another week sat at your desk, or in the classroom, or on the shop floor, or on the ward... and your heart sinks. It doesn't really matter where you work, or what you do, most people, at some point in their lives, go through a period of wondering: 'Is this it? Is this what I'm really going to spend my life doing?'

And that feeling might come rushing in for many of us right now. Whether you've been away for a few weeks in the sun, or you've been run ragged juggling childcare responsibilities over the summer holidays, the reality for many of us is that the 'back-to-school' refocusing on work that this time of year often brings means you might be experiencing some rather unwelcome feelings about your job right now.

'Holidays give us time to step off the treadmill, take stock of our lives, and recharge our batteries,' says Kim Morgan, Psychologies' resident coach and an expert on career change.