ST Headstart: Matcha making and mindful living
Hello again. The hot leaf juice known as matcha is one of the core pillars of millennial civilisation, and I'm only half joking. In the latest Young and Savvy column, my colleague Sharon Salim relates her effort in brewing the tea to the world we live in now. It's a soul-nourishing read for these unsettling times.
On the career front, if you struggle with putting off tasks you need to complete, the latest Headstart On Record podcast might help. In it, I speak to a researcher who studies how people work. She lays out the psychological quirks we bring to work, especially why we procrastinate and how to tackle it.
A young prison visit centre officer also takes us through the ups and downs of her job in the second instalment of our new series On The Job. These officers hold a sense of quiet purpose in themselves as they make each visit meaningful within prison rules.
Scroll on for more stories chosen just for you and have a great day ahead!
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Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Straits Times
ST Headstart: Beating post-vacation blues at work
Welcome to the latest edition of ST Headstart, bringing you the best of The Straits Times' career, personal finance and lifestyle coverage every Tuesday noon. Sign up here to get weekly tips right into your inbox. Coming back to work after spending a week or two on holiday can be depressing. But instead of dreading your return, savouring the present moment during holidays helps you gain more from them and improves your happiness. Business correspondent Tay Hong Yi has more tips on how to make the transition back to work less painful in his latest askST Jobs column. Meanwhile, another way to find happiness is through bonding with pets. If you're looking for a new animal friend, pet shops, licensed pet breeders and animal shelters each offer different advantages. This writer recommends considering adoption, as careful screenings by shelter staff can help you find a paw-fect match. On another note, Headstart is at the Thrive@Libraries festival this Saturday, Aug 16! Visit us at the SMU Admin Building, Level 5 Foyer, from 9am to 6:30 pm. Sign up here for our keynote fireside chat on balancing big ideas with business realities, moderated by ST assistant business editor Alyssa Woo. See you there!
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
askST Jobs: How to deal with the dread of returning to work after a holiday?
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox It is common for people to feel some unease when returning to work after a break. In this series, manpower correspondent Tay Hong Yi offers practical answers to candid questions on navigating workplace challenges and getting ahead in your career. Get more tips by signing up to The Straits Times' Headstart newsletter. Q: I feel trepidation about returning to work after a holiday. How can I make getting back to work more painless? A: It is common for employees to feel some unease when returning to work after a break, says Ms Juliana Pang, a counsellor at mental health platform Intellect. 'Some of my clients tell me that they start counting down the days to their return, and this can make it difficult for them to enjoy the tail end of their vacation.' Other symptoms of post-holiday slump to look out for include mood changes, anxiety and ruminating about the impending return. Stress stemming from the mental burden of managing overflowing inboxes, backlogged tasks or looming deadlines could be the root cause of these symptoms, Ms Pang says. 'Others may worry about the challenging personalities they have to interact with on their return. Even when the actual workload is reasonable, the mental shift back into work mode can feel daunting.' Ms Pang says it is helpful to note the intensity and duration of any symptoms faced. 'If they start to affect your daily functioning and ability to manage regular interpersonal interactions, it may be a sign of something more serious than just discomfort. 'Being aware of how your mind and body react during this transition can reveal important clues about your overall well-being.' If these reactions become overwhelming or persist for a prolonged period, seeking support from a mental health professional can be a valuable step towards addressing the underlying causes of the stress, Ms Pang adds. It is possible to start making preparations for one's duties before the holiday ends to ease the transition, says Dr Vincent Oh, senior lecturer in psychology at the Singapore University of Social Sciences. However, he adds, this move reduces work-life separation. 'Personally, I would suggest that during one's vacation, one should strive to live in the present and cherish the joys of taking a break.' Dr Oh says research suggests that savouring the present moment during positive experiences helps people gain more from them and improves their happiness. 'It can be difficult not to worry about one's upcoming return to work as our minds have a natural tendency to focus on 'unsolved problems', and such invasive thoughts can happen even when one tries not to worry. 'It's okay to have such thoughts, and when they come, take a few deep breaths but slowly try to return your attention to the present moment and savour the joy of being on break.' It also helps to collect mementoes of the holiday, such as souvenirs or photos, Dr Oh says. This helps workers to relive the joys of their holiday after it is over. As for what someone can do when they clock in for work again, Dr Oh encourages taking a problem-focused approach to clearing tasks at hand. 'When we feel dreadful and overwhelmed by our work, it's very tempting to avoid it or procrastinate, but this ultimately prolongs the problem and doesn't solve it, which further worsens our anxiety. 'Rather, it is better to take an organised approach to getting things done.' Creating a checklist of tasks to be cleared, in order of priority, can also help provide a sense of progression and validate your success in getting things done, which eventually reduces anxiety towards uncompleted tasks, Dr Oh says. Ms Pang says another approach to consider is to begin with smaller, more manageable items to rebuild momentum. She also encourages scheduling one or two 'buffer days' to recharge at home before actually starting work again. 'Allowing time to recover from travel, re-establish routines and mentally shift back into work mode can make a noticeable difference.' She adds: 'Avoiding late-night flights before your first day back also helps ensure you're well rested and ready to re-engage.' It is also crucial to set aside time for self-care routines, even as you readjust your routine, Ms Pang says. 'Re-establishing healthy habits, such as exercising, having a regular sleep schedule, and a balanced diet, can help counteract the effects of jet lag or holiday indulgence. 'Incorporating mini-breaks like a midday walk or short breaks from the workstation can support both mental clarity and emotional well-being.'
New Paper
5 days ago
- New Paper
ST, Uniqlo launch design contest for Singapore stories T-shirt collection
The Straits Times and Uniqlo have partnered to immortalise three Singapore stories in a limited series, print-on-demand T-shirt collection. The Japanese apparel giant and the newspaper have launched a T-shirt design contest open to all local residents with a Singapore story to tell, as part of a series of events to mark ST's 180th anniversary this year. The newspaper was first published on July 15, 1845. Submissions, which must be original artworks, are open till 11.59pm on Sept 7. Three winners will be announced in November. The winning designs, along with two others contributed by ST artists, will be available for printing at Uniqlo's Jewel, Vivo City and Orchard Central stores at $19.90 in kids' sizing or $29.90 for adults. The sample designs by the ST artists are titled "Capturing the rhythm of life and textures of our home", and "Highlighting the native species of flora and fauna that can be found in Singapore". The winners will receive $600 Uniqlo vouchers in their Uniqlo apps, a one-year ST digital subscription valued at $358.80 and limited-edition ST180 merchandise. ST Editor Jaime Ho said: "For much of this year, as we celebrate our 180th anniversary, The Straits Times has been working with Singaporeans on 'Telling Your Singapore Story'. "I'm glad to be able to continue this by inviting readers to express their uniquely Singapore stories through art. I look forward to seeing Singaporeans' creativity come alive, and eventually unveiling the winning designs." Said marketing director of Uniqlo Singapore Paulene Ong: "Uniqlo Singapore is proud to partner with The Straits Times to invite Singaporeans to share their stories. "Guided by our LifeWear philosophy - high-quality everyday clothing designed to make life better - we believe that being part of Singaporeans' daily lives is at the heart of what we do. "We are excited to discover the stories and creativity that emerge through this initiative, and we look forward to showcasing their designs across our channels." Anyone who lives in Singapore is eligible to participate in the contest, but those younger than 18 years old must have the consent of their parent or guardian. All contestants must be Uniqlo app members. Winners must agree to be interviewed, photographed and filmed by The Straits Times. Designs can be done in any medium, including digital or hand-drawn illustrations, so long as generative artificial intelligence (AI) is not used. AI-generated works will be disqualified.
