How hard is it to relax after work sometimes? Often we’ll go from a high-pressure day at the office, to a hectic, traffic-laden commute home, straight into a task list of things to do around the house – cooking, washing, cleaning, budgeting, whatever. Not preparing our own food and making sure things are in order in our personal lives can have an impact on things like our health, our waistlines, our finances – or all of the above. For this reason, we’re trying to squeeze all of these things into our days – it’s all important!
It’s much more expensive (and often unhealthy) to buy breakfast, lunch and dinner every day than it is to prepare it ourselves, yet sometimes taking the time to do all of this feels like an attack on our own personal space. It’s hard enough to switch off from work when we do have the time – let alone when we don’t.
Having worked for six years in what can be a high-pressure world of media and communications, I understand what it’s like to be unable to switch off from work. This was particularly the case when I was really gung-ho in my earlier years – I was so keen to get everything done yesterday and I worked like a maniac to try and get there. At that stage I didn’t have the tools to create barriers, and my never-ending to-do list took over my life, so that the two became inseparable. Of course, nothing quite worked because where I was putting too much into one thing I started to lack in other areas. When I worked too much I put aside my health and relationships; when I didn’t work long hours I felt like I was letting the team down. It was clear that it wasn’t a long-term, sustainable solution and yet I had no idea how to get myself out of this constant yo-yo.
Since then, through trial and error and simply through necessity for my own headspace, I’ve learned how to turn off after a work day – or at least, as much as it’s possible to do so.
There’s no magic cure and it often takes a lot of learning to get to the point where you can really switch off. Now though, despite working in the corporate world, I really don’t think about work after work unless something absolutely needs my immediate attention. I don’t go over scenarios in my mind, I don’t fret about the next day or week or month, I don’t think about people at work (except in a friendly way – for example, if I know someone has something interesting going on, like a dinner or an event, I’ll wonder how they’re getting on with it).
It’s taken years for me to get to this point. And guess what? Everything in my life flows so much more smoothly now. My happiness has increased on an incredible scale and I like to think my health and wellbeing has too – as well as, more than likely, my productivity all round.
My number one tip between work and home: create a ‘buffer’ zone!
Here’s my number one tip on how to switch off from work when you need to:
Create a ‘buffer’ zone in between work and home. (Something better than the commute). Try walking all or part of the way, or stopping to do something you enjoy on your way home. Otherwise, when you get home head out for a little while – go for a run or do some meditation. Anything to create down time and allow you to get from one head space effectively to the next, and lose all of the dramas of the day. Even if you work from home, you can still implement this ritual by leaving the house or doing a one-hour activity that you enjoy. You want to get yourself out of any tension, and into joy and relaxation.
Other tricks to help you relax after work include:
- At the end of each day, create a ‘to-do’ list for the next day. Get it all off your mind before you even walk out the door, and let it go unless absolutely necessary.
- Keep a paper and pen by your bed. If you’ve got a lot on, your mind will be racing with ideas or solutions, or stuff to do the next day. Write all of it down before you try to get some shut-eye.
- Get better sleep – set a daily bed time and try and stick to it as many days of the week as possible. Try to get 7 or 8 hours of sleep per night, and switch off devices at least 30 minutes before bed. Phone, tablet and computer screens can keep your mind racing. If you need to eat late (as many of us do!), try to make it a healthy, protein-fuelled meal that’s not too heavy.
- I’m sure you’ve heard this one before, but get rid of devices from your bedroom or switch them off.
- Use herbal fixes to relax – drink chamomile tea in the evenings to calm and soothe the body and mind, natural scented candles or even my favorite – aromatherapy oils.
- Although TV helps you to relax, I believe having TV as the only relaxation mechanic is flawed. You need to also do something that feeds your soul. Do something you love a few times a week – something that feeds your passion, whether it be a creative outlet or something opposite to that. Whatever gets you going and brings you joy, where you can be in the ‘flow’ zone – do that.
- Meditate for 10 to 20 minutes before bed. All of the inevitable thoughts will go through your mind during meditation where you can watch them as a silent witness – rather than having the thoughts run through your mind when you’re trying to get to sleep.
How do you switch off after work?
