You can be glad to return and still need a gentler first week.

Gladness and capacity are separate, and people often assume they arrive together. Coming back to a job, a home or a routine you genuinely missed does not restore the energy you had before you left, and the enthusiasm of others can make it hard to say that the first week is heavy. Wanting to be somewhere is not the same as being ready for all of it at once; nothing is wrong when both are true.

Keep the first week back deliberately lighter than you think necessary. Tell one person that you are glad to be here and still finding your feet.