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After a week or two of festivities, most of our brains have tricked themselves into forgetting that instinctive dread of an email notification. But halfway through the workweek, that familiar feeling of exhaustion and frustration has set in.

So some folks decided to cope with their situation and share their best, funniest, and most relatable thoughts on X (formerly Twitter.) So if you are feeling a similar amount of despair, get as comfortable as you can, refill your coffee, and scroll through. Be sure to upvote your favorites and share your thoughts, feelings, and ideas below. 

#1

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

DrakeGatsby Report

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sbj
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've being doing that on and off during the last 365 days, it's a miracle that I'm still aware I'm alive

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You might be wondering, what exactly does national "circling back day" mean. Well, as those unfortunate enough to deal with a lot of meetings and emails might know, folks love to "circle back" to some topic. The holidays offer us a brief escape from this, for better or worse. But afterward, it ends up hitting twice as hard. As sad as it sounds, post-vacation blues, or, more accurately, post-travel depression (PTD), is a measurable psychological issue that workers face all around the world. While it’s sometimes a result of coming down from the “high” of travel, more often than not, the need to return to a steady, day-to-day job is the real culprit.

Often enough it goes unnoticed. After all, how often do you speak with your coworkers about their mental health? At the same time, a person suffering from PTD might feel ashamed talking about it to people at work. Who wants to highlight how time off made them sad when talking to people who were working the entire time? 

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#6

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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SM
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10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Almost all of these have "Let's circle back" in all the years I worked, I never once heard that phrase.

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However, since around this time of year, many people are going through the same thing, there is a sort of critical mass that reveals just how depressing going back to work after some “freedom” can be. If it’s any consolation, this feeling tends not to last too long, unless you deeply despise your job, in which case, a similar negative emotion was likely in place anyway. 

#8

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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Show Thyself
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10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm the one who's supposed to help everyone when they struggle. 1.5weeks off - I don't know sh*t anymore.

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#9

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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devotedtodreams
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Same. It's why I dread wishing my co-workers a Happy New Year - there's a high risk of them launching into some story or tangent I don't want to hear.

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Some folks recommend “simply” always having a vacation planned, so you have something to be striving towards, regardless of where one is in the year. Psychologists suggest that knowing that something will end at some point often helps a person “push” through difficult times, even if it’s in the distant future. 

#11

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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Paul C.
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh no! Literally just caught Bubonic plague/Covid hybrid, afraid I'm incommunicado for, oh I don't know, possibly forever.

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#12

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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Kare Deter
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you need anything, feel free to reach out to anyone else...

In general, PTD remains an understudied phenomenon, mostly because it can be hard to measure. People might not be honest about their holidays, they might have already recovered or it might be hard to prove that it’s precisely post-holiday blues that are getting them down. Nevertheless, there has been some research done on the topic, with one study reporting that up to 57% of Brits experience it. 

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#14

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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MrsFettesVette
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was happy to get back toy regular routine so I could look forward to the weekend, when I don't have anything to do but stay in my sweats, read, and take naps.This first weekend of 2024 is all about REST (and I hope my fellow Pandas get some rest and recharge time too).

Not to mention, the time off on the holidays can often be just enough to make you forget. The pre-holiday period is full of plans one hastily makes for “next year” without quite internalizing the fact that next year is often just a handful of days away. So when those emails begin to roll in, it can get pretty exhausting. 

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#20

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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sbj
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And the next free day is Easter Monday which falls on April 1st, someone is having a laugh at our expense

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#21

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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Nat of Clan P
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This was literally me this morning after coming back to work after 2 weeks off :( I was wide awake at 2:30 this morning stressing about having to actually go to work. Lol.

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#22

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TheGoodBoi
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

LMAO, I mean I wish it would always be cloudy but not totally destroy the sun

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#23

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Sephora Black
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No offence to Mayor Lori Lightfoot, but in this photo she looks like one of the undead! 🧟‍♀️

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#24

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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Me. Just Me.
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The first week (or first string of 5 days) in January after break should be a transition period. The first day is getting up early. The second day is turning on the computer and trying to remember all your passwords. The third day is opening email (but not looking at any of them). The fourth day is actually showing up at the office and telling the same story about what you did over the break to 10 different people. And the fifth day is bulk replying to all of those emails "let's circle back on this next week." Depending on the calendar, any remaining days in the week before the weekend are off-days.

#25

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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Makenzie McNeal
Community Member
10 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can't stand having that many emails. One teacher I had a few years ago, had a grand total of 138,271 emails unread. (I only remember that because I had to just keep watching it go up, it set my OCD off)

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#26

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#31

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TheGoodBoi
Community Member
10 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"I've attached an awesome video to help us kick off the new year!!!! :D Let's rock 2024!!! XD"

#32

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#33

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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#34

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#35

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#36

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#37

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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#38

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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Oskar vanZandt
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lighthouse keeper on well-stocked and satellite-comms connected remote island...

#39

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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Bogdan Chelariu
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He just looks like a tired mother of 7 in this picture... Or most pictures of his, if I think about it...

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#40

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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Me. Just Me.
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

2024 has 366 days (leap year). We don't have to circle back on Day 2.

#41

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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#42

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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#43

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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#44

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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Kylie
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Who the hell even thought up "circling back" in the first place?

#45

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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#46

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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#47

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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#48

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#49

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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#50

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#51

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#52

National-Circle-Back-Day-Jokes

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#53

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#54

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#55

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#56

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#58

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#59

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#60

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#61

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#62

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#63

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#64

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