For anyone who’s taken time away from the workplace, returning to work can be a particularly daunting process. Not least if you’ve been on maternity or paternity leave.

After all, not only will you have spent time adapting to life as a new parent, but you’ll now have to drop the routine that you’ve spend time and effort working on.

However, there are steps you can take to make returning to work after maternity or paternity leave far easier than anticipated. Read on for our top tips.

Speak to your manager or colleagues

It’s a good idea to keep in touch with your manager and colleagues. If you haven’t been in contact with them throughout your maternity or paternity leave, why not strike up a conversation before you’re due to return to work.

Remember, your manager is there to support you and should be working with you to ensure you come back into the workplace when you’re good and ready.

Alongside this, never underestimate the power of a quick cup of tea with a trusted colleague(s). They can fill you in on what’s been happening since you’ve been gone and help to remind you that you’re a valued member of the team.

Plan and practise your new routine

Hopefully you will have established a new routine that you’ll be able stick to once you return to work. This might be leaving your little one with a family member or taking them into nursery.

Whichever it is, it’s important to be in a routine that’s sustainable and makes your life easier. If you are able to, get this in place a couple of weeks or so before you go back to work and practise the journey to work from your childcare provider, as it won’t be so daunting on your first week back.

With anything, a bit of practise and preparation can immediately make you feel more at ease and alleviate those ‘return to work’ jitters.

Stick to your working pattern

It’s likely that your working hours will differ slightly when you return to work. It might be that you start earlier, to finish earlier, or work longer hours to give yourself an extra day off in the week.

The important point to remember is that you’ve put this working pattern in place for a reason. There’s no point working overtime or stressing yourself out because you can’t stay as late as your colleagues.

If you feel that the working pattern isn’t quite working out, don’t hesitate to speak to the HR department, or to your manager, for further advice.

Make the most of your lunch hour

Your lunch break is a perfect opportunity to focus on yourself and get some ‘me time’. Take the time to actually sit and enjoy your lunch while you have a quiet moment.

Alternatively, you may want to get out for a walk, have a quick gym session to clear your head, or even phone a friend for a quick child-free chat. Balancing parenting and working is extremely full-on, so it’s important to focus on doing things that will make you feel better.

All of this will have a positive impact on your general wellbeing and mental health, helping to make the return to work that little bit easier.

Look after your health

Let’s face it, dealing with sleepless nights and returning to work after maternity or paternity leave can be exhausting.

Therefore, it’s important that you’re looking after your health, in the midst of looking after your child and doing a good job.

Try to establish a night-time routine that ensures you have a suitable amount of rest. Aim to prepare your lunches in advance to avoid raiding the snack draw and try to limit yourself to a certain amount of caffeine a day. Too much caffeine before bedtime can hinder a goodnight’s sleep. In addition, be sure to keep hydrated with lots of water.

Don’t put pressure on yourself

Finally, it’s extremely important not to put pressure on yourself. As a new parent, it’s a learning curve getting used to juggling work and home life and it’s safe to say that your life will never be the same.

However, it’s extremely rewarding, so your focus should now be on achieving a good work-life balance.

If you’re feeling stressed or unsure about the return to work, don’t hesitate to talk to your employer about how you’re feeling. There’s plenty that companies can do to make the process a lot easier for their staff.

CV-Library is a fast growing job board and advertises hundreds of thousands of roles every month, from IT to teaching. It also owns a range of sector specific career sites, including JobsMedical