China hit with back to work anxiety blues

Stresses normal when dealing with changes

Zhang Yajun enjoyed sound sleep during the Golden Week holiday, but when Sunday rolled around she did not get a wink.

"I felt so sad and nervous about returning to work," said the 24-year-old, who is employed by a State-owned company in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province.

"I just know that the next few months will be taken up by a mountain of work. No more holidays until the end of the year," she added with a sigh. "I'm going to miss the days I could idle about at home."

Fan Jing, a 28-year-old designer, returned to Chongqing on Sunday after spending the holiday traveling with friends. Fan said she was suffering from the same anxiety.

"My alarm clock rang every 10 minutes after 7:30 this morning. I finally woke up an hour later. It almost killed me to leave my bed," she said. "Over the holiday, I found inner peace. I only suffer from anxiety and pressure at work."

According to mental health experts, "post-holiday blues" is a common complaint among young Chinese people and can result in depression, weight gain and low-work efficiency.

"The syndrome always comes with mild mental distress, which is common when dealing with daily life stresses and changes," said Tian Chenghua, a psychiatrist at Peking University No 6 Hospital.

"In most cases, people with good self-adjustment can rid themselves of the condition in one or two days."

Zhang and Fan said they always feel anxious returning to work following holidays, and will feel better after they have been at work for a few days.

Experts also warn that some people, especially seniors, could be risking their health over the holidays.

Liu Yahua, an emergency-room doctor at General Hospital of Armed Police Forces in Beijing, said there had been an increase in young people visiting the ophthalmology department complaining of eye strain. The patients had spent too long staring at computer screens or the television during the holiday.

Liu said over-indulgence was also a cause for concern, with cases of cardiac-cerebral vascular disease 100 percent higher than usual at the hospital on Monday. Most of the patients were senior citizens.

"Eating and drinking too much during the holidays can also easily trigger other illness concerning the stomach," she said. "People should take care during and after holidays when trying to beat the blues."

zhengjinran@chinadaily.com.cn