Returning from holiday to an overflowing inbox is not necessarily a problem a group activity can solve. Before booking a scavenger hunt, ask what the team needs to get back into work: clear priorities, time to catch up or help with a specific obstacle.
Feeling low after a break is not a diagnosis
The WHO distinguishes depression from everyday mood changes. Describing team building as a way to “beat post-holiday depression” blurs recreation and healthcare. If distress persists, worsens or affects daily life, seek professional support. You do not have to fix it by appearing enthusiastic around colleagues.
Start with how work is organised
The WHO identifies excessive workloads, inflexible hours and poor support as workplace risks. It recommends addressing working conditions and involving workers in that process. A day out cannot replace those measures.
For the first planning meeting, try three columns: matters needing an answer this week, tasks that can wait and decisions requiring help. Assign someone to each outstanding decision. This is an organisational suggestion, not a clinical intervention.
Give any activity a clear purpose
Choose a modest, observable aim: introduce two teams, exchange information about a project or spend some time together. “Make everyone happy” offers little help when selecting or evaluating an event.
- Offer choices: consider a quiet option and a more active one, with voluntary participation in the social element.
- Ask about access needs: mobility, language, food, noise and timing. Do not request medical explanations in front of colleagues.
- Avoid compulsory disclosures: nobody should have to share private experiences or perform an emotion to join in.
- Explain the arrangements: duration, travel, covered expenses and a backup if the weather changes.
A short tabletop design challenge, for example, is an option to consider alongside a city walk. There is no need to turn the occasion into a competition or claim that one activity suits everyone.
After the event
Ask specific questions: what felt comfortable, what made participation difficult and what should change? Keep that feedback separate from health concerns. If the original issue was an excessive workload, check whether it has been addressed. A cheerful group photograph does not answer that question.
When to get support
Speak to a healthcare professional if you are concerned about your mood. Our guide to online psychological care can help you prepare questions without assuming that remote appointments will suit your circumstances.
In Spain, 024 provides free, confidential support around the clock for people experiencing suicidal thoughts and their loved ones. Call 112 for an immediate life-threatening emergency.
Sources checked
WHO and Spanish Ministry of Health information checked on 22 September 2026. The planning ideas are editorial suggestions, not treatment or endorsements of an event provider.
