April in Tokyo: Staying Grounded During the Transition & Combatting May Sickness (五月病)

Every April in Tokyo, the cherry blossoms open and fall within a week, new suits appear on the morning trains, and something in the air feels briefly, collectively hopeful. I have lived here for over thirty years; long enough to love that feeling and to know what usually follows it.

Don't Wait for May to Feel It — "May Sickness" (五月病)

There is a pattern I watch play out almost every spring with a number of professionals I work with and for. April runs on adrenaline. Maybe there’s a new role, new team, new expectations. It does not feel hard yet because the nervous system hasn't caught up.

Then Golden Week arrives, you finally stop, and when you return to your desk in May, something is different. Flat. Heavy. Disconnected from the motivation you had just weeks earlier.

That is Gogatsu-byo (五月病), or "May sickness." About one in four Japanese adults recognizes having experienced it. It is not an official diagnosis, but it describes something very real: the accumulated stress of April's transition surfaces the moment you give yourself permission to rest. 

By the time you feel it, the prevention window has mostly closed. Which is why I want to talk about it now.

Therapy Tips That Make a Difference

The approach I find most useful comes from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Two skills in particular can help you navigate this window:

• Defusion is the practice of noticing a thought as a thought rather than a fact. April generates a lot of thoughts like "I'm not good enough for this role", “I’ve gotten so far behind”, or "Everyone can see I'm struggling". You don't have to fight those thoughts or believe them. Just notice them: "There's that thought again." That small distance takes away some of their grip.

• Acceptance means making room for difficult feelings rather than fighting them. The adjustment happening right now is genuinely hard. It is okay to feel uncertain, tired, or like you haven't fully found your footing. Trying to suppress those feelings tends to amplify them. 

One practical step this week: Do an honest check-in with yourself. Not "how is work going?" but "how am I actually doing?" Notice your energy, your sleep, your appetite, and your mood. These are data points worth paying attention to. And protect at least one recovery activity this month; not as a reward for hard work, but as a vital part of it.

If you manage a team, pay attention to the second week of May. A brief, low-pressure check-in with new hires—just a genuine "how are you settling in?"—can make more difference than you might expect.

How MindBridge Can Help

If you feel "May Sickness" is affecting you or your team, or if you want to ensure your team is equipped with the tools to handle other periods of transition, I’m here to help.

At MindBridge, we specialize in operationalizing these psychological skills. Whether through one-on-one coaching or our Full Engagement Training (FET) workshops for teams, we provide the practical framework to move through transitions with clarity and resilience.

Ready to start the season with a new strategy? Book a free consultation with me or simply reply to this email to start a conversation.

Thanks for reading,