How to deal with separation anxiety going back to work
Going back to work after months at home brings a painful mix of financial relief and deep mental distress over leaving a young baby. This emotional weight makes the transition feel overwhelming, leaving parents struggling to focus while trying to balance work expectations with the heartbreak of being apart.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
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How to deal with separation anxiety going back to work
- 1seeing a therapist regularly and anticipating multiple conversations about itDid this help you?
- 2returning to work part-timeDid this help you?
- 3relying on a single income while struggling financiallyDid this help you?
- 4Hiring a midday dog walkerDid this help you?
- 5Leaving puzzle toys or lick mats with breakfastDid this help you?
- 6Leaving an item with the owner's scentDid this help you?
- 7Turning on the TV or music for background noiseDid this help you?
- 8Providing a calming chew treat upon leavingDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I have recently gone back to work and she has been SOOO sad. She doesn’t want to eat her breakfast when she realizes it’s a school day. She pouts and gives me the saddest puppy eyes.”source ↗
“I try to give her as much love and attention and activity as I can when I get home, but I feel like she is so sad now that I’m back to work. She’s breaking my heart.”source ↗
“Mine would leave his breakfast untouched for hours until I got home, acting like he'd been abandoned to a medieval dungeon.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 43How do I deal with severe separation anxiety in a newly adopted dog?
- 9How to catch up on work after extended leave
- 4Why does my dog turn into a terror the second someone gets home?
- 15How to handle extreme toddler separation anxiety and tantrums
- 8Should I quit teaching after maternity leave?
- 5Forced return to office when hired as permanent remote