The morning of: take an hour-long lunch break

Grab some calm before the storm by arriving at work half an hour early. Not only will this strategy win kudos from your boss, you’ll also have a head-start in tackling difficult tasks first, when your energy levels are highest.

Whatever you do, don’t waste the first 90 minutes in the office dissecting your weekend over endless kitchen forays. That’s a fool’s game, meaning you simply delay the pain of getting started; and it’ll hit harder when you do.

Instead, go cold turkey and dive right into all the things you’d really rather avoid. Don’t even answer emails (unless they fall under the ‘tough tasks’ category). Just plough straight into the sharp end.

Your reward lies in taking a full lunch break, a habit that makes us healthier, happier and more productive at work.

You can either celebrate with a colleague with an impromptu feast in the park, or perhaps get those endorphins flowing with a lunchtime run.

Either way, make sure you actually get out of the office and take a full hour.

The evening after: book a holiday

Congrats, you’ve made it through the day; now it’s time to sort a holiday.

Research shows that the anticipation of an escape brings us more joy than the break itself. So just by the simple act of booking a getaway, you can drum up some feel-good vibes.

You don’t need to plot an exotic getaway to the Maldives to experience this planning high, either. A cosy Airbnb somewhere in Britain may do the trick (check out a little inspiration), or you could head al fresco with a treetop escape.

If funds allow and you’re feeling fancy, why not rent a private island? It’s a rather fabulous travel trend that’s fast gaining traction.

On the other end of scale, you can make camping your friend with these festival-vibe retreats, or take advantage of the host of free events that take place across London and nationwide every year.

Whether it’s a literary fest you’re after, or a day’s kayaking on the Wye, the key thing is to get it in your diary. With that done, you can wave bye-bye to post-break blues.

Images: Getty

A three-step guide to tackling post-Bank Holiday anxiety