Post-leave syndrome hits back-to-work employees

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KUWAIT CITY, July 1: With government working hours partially restored, many may find themselves not eager to return to work again or may feel anxious and nervous about going back to their places of work. This is normal, according to psychologists who refer to what is known scientifically as post-leave syndrome (PVS), which leads some to the point of depression; thus refusing to resume work again. Professor of physiological psychology Dr Kamil Al-Farraj revealed that the loss of interest is due to the effect of contrast, which is a subconscious process, as the mind or brain causes subconscious exaggerations between the benefits of leave and work interruption.

The negative impact of the routine of life and returning again to the time that usually requires mental effort exceeding what the period of holiday requires. He added the mind exaggerates the negative impact of work, so this stage is accompanied by fear of restrictions imposed by practical life, which are not made by our hands unlike the periods of leave we create for ourselves. Therefore, it is said that work organizes the rhythm of life while accompanying leave, despite our control over it, a great deal of laziness.

Temporary
Al-Farraj believes that post-leave syndrome is temporary and continues for some days among some people and disappears without treatment. Some studies indicate that anxiety from this syndrome is minimal among those who love their jobs as they always have the urge, but reverse is the case with those who hate their jobs. To positively consider work as a social activity that has many benefits is among the methods of dealing with the situation, as it shows our sense of importance, which yields what is known as depression of retirement.

For his part, professor of clinical psychology at the Faculty of Medicine in Kuwait University Dr Nayef Al-Mutawa sees another dimension related to the fear of some about becoming infected with Covid-19 when they return to work. He stated that governments across the whole world are trying to control the rate of infection in light of the lack of clarity regarding access to a vaccine where some believe it will extend for another year. He added “until the date of availability of the vaccine is announced, there are indications that 50 percent of the population may be infected with the disease.

Therefore, not returning to work will not be the mode of controlling the infection, as we may get sick while in our homes”. Al-Mutawa indicated the importance of giving people accurate information in these times of fear to understand that staying at home will not prevent the infection 100 percent, because the goal of keeping people at home is to control the rate of infections on a daily basis to meet the capacity of medical facilities, and it’s also necessary to inform them that recovery rates exceed 90 percent and they go on with their lives after recovery.

Educating
Al-Mutawa focused on the importance of educating the public about the things they can control, including wearing of masks, gloves and continuous sterilization, and making people with chronic diseases to do their work from home. He affirmed that coexistence is unavoidable and the reality of life keeps people moving.

He pointed out that the feeling of anxiety and tension from returning to work again is also due to the complete abandonment of the routine in the vacation period, adding it is important for a person to retain some routine and get used to something. It may be in the form of eating at a specific time or exercising at a particular hour, because those who left themselves without routine will face great difficulty on their return due to the importance of routine in maintaining the system of life and stability.

Al-Mutawa concluded that random life that is lacking in the system is a cause of tension, turmoil and creation of other problems. He pointed to the importance of talking about different experiences of the disease with each other. It is not required here to return to a psychiatrist except in cases of necessity, because everyone has experience in dealing with the disease at present. In the event of need, the fearful may depend on psychiatric clinics that are available free of charge through various applications and sites.

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