Try to set — and stick to — a work schedule that allows you to handle other important priorities in your personal life in a way that feels balanced to you. You might even try physical boundaries, like locking your office at the end of the day or deleting work email accounts from personal devices.
Even if you love what you do, your job can still be a source of stress. At the end of the day, it can be hard to leave stress at the door, and for many people, it can negatively affect their downtime. (Taken from: https://psychcentral.com/blog/ways-to-leave-work-at-work).
Give these five approaches a try:
- Mindful breathing - Practicing breathing exercises or meditation can help you relax when you get home after work. “Mindful breathing can help you focus on the moment, the here and now, which should help alleviate some of the stress from work,” says Holly Schiff. Check this out: https://psychcentral.com/health/mindful-breathing
- Doing something symbolic to release nagging thoughts - What happens at work can seep into our personal lives, from dinner time to relaxing in front of the television. When you find yourself ruminating over work issues, consider a verbal and mental strategy.
You might try this exercise:- Observe your thoughts with compassion as they arise and tell yourself “Here come the story [or the thoughts] about work.”
- For 60 seconds, close your eyes and practice mindful breathing and listening.
- Observe if any deeper emotions rise to the surface. Perhaps you’re feeling sad, exhilarated, or enraged.
- Label these feelings and sit with them as you continue to practice mindful breathing and listening.
- As you label each feeling, speak compassionately to it. For example, you could say, “I choose to let you go.”
- Complete this exercise by placing your attention on your breath or surrounding sounds. Gently open your eyes.
- Visualize your ‘exit’ - If you find unwinding at the end of the day to be challenging, try this visualization. Become aware of your breath for 60 seconds and bring your attention to the present.
- Imagine you’re a spool of thread that unravels from the barrel that represents job-related stress.
- With the first rotation of your spool of thread, picture unwinding any worries and concerns you may have. You’re liberating yourself from their hold on you.
- On the second spin of the spool, picture unraveling these thoughts and what you didn’t finish at work. Tomorrow you’ll have the opportunity, but at this moment, you’re letting go of any work-related angst.
- As the spool continues to unravel, you’re freeing yourself from your thoughts and finding inner peace.
- A daily dose of levity or humor - One of the best antidotes for stress is humor. We’ve all heard the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine” because nothing lifts the spirits like laughter. Whether it’s watching a funny cat video, or calling a friend who always makes you smile, try to find simple ways every day to brighten your mood. In fact, research shows the effectiveness of humor in reducing stress at work.
- Turn off autopilot, be present in your transition - Pretend to be a tourist on your way home from work. (If you work from home, you can take a brief stroll. As you walk, act like a tourist, observing your environment with a renewed sense of excitement and enthusiasm). Here are a few simple techniques to help you get started:
- Before you finish work, practice mindful breathing.
- Think of an intention, such as “I now release my stress of the day.”
- Pretend to be a tourist who has just arrived at this place — or visiting after being away for a long time.
- On your way home, take everything in. You can try using the 5-4-3-2-1 method of grounding.
- See how many new and interesting things or people you can notice. The point is to be curious and open your mind to new possibilities.
Recommended Book to Read
The Man Who Mistook His Job for His Life: How to Thrive at Work by Leaving Your Emotional Baggage Behind by Naomi Shragai.