When we don’t unwind, stress can accumulate, leading to burnout, which is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion. Nature Dose is an app that monitors how much time you spend indoors versus in nature. Additionally, you get Nature Prescriptions—customized targets for you each week. You can use this app to maintain a habit of spending time outdoors, which can eventually help in lowering stress levels. However, going for a walk in nature is a pleasant way of relaxing without inducing physical stress on your body. A study published in EDRA showed that walking in nature reduced the stress hormone cortisol significantly.
Do a body scan.
- Share your experiences with your colleagues—they probably have experienced similar struggles—and see if you can work towards solutions together, such as with scheduling conflicts or mandatory overtime.
- Relaxation in the workplace is one easy way to lower stress levels, reduce absenteeism, and improve productivity.
- De-stressing after a long day of work with meditation is a proven practice that reduces stress, increases focus, and supports mental well-being.
- Here are eleven proven, effective ways to unwind and decompress after work, so you can leave the stress behind.
- Instead of multitasking to stay on top of your tasks, try another cognitive strategy like chunking.
Additionally, Therabody has a range of smart muscle compression wearables that aim to accelerate muscle recovery and bring quick relief from pain. You can do this in five minutes with a few stretching exercises – Man Flow Yoga has an excellent YouTube video. Take a quick warm shower, then turn the water cold for five seconds. You can survive anything for that time, apart from listening to the Kardashians.
Try deep breathing exercises
Multitasking was once heralded as a fantastic way to maximize one’s time and get more done in a day. However, people eventually began to realize that if they had a phone to their ear and were making calculations at the same time, their speed and accuracy (not to mention sanity) often suffered. Another surprising stressor at work is physical discomfort, often related to where you perform most of your daily tasks (such as your desk). Keeping yourself organized can also mean avoiding the negative effects of clutter, and being more efficient with your work. Not understanding your role in the workplace how to destress after work can be a source of stress. Plus, it’s tough to feel good about your work when you’re not sure whether you are meeting or exceeding expectations.
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You can practice short versions of your favorite meditation at your desk or during a restroom break. If you can’t exercise regularly, try to stretch in your sitting spot, take walks before, during, or after work, or go up and down the stairs if you can. If possible, consider taking a break or taking distance from the source of your immediate stress at your workplace. If you are in a life threatening situation – don’t use this site.
Keep in mind that you’ll likely be able to tackle work issues more effectively when your core needs are being met. Taking even a few minutes of personal time during a busy day can help prevent burnout caused by chronic work stress. Keeping a journal to track your stress triggers and reactions may help.
Calm your mind. Change your life.
A proper diet can improve mood and energy levels so you’re able to cope with work-related anxiety. Work-related stress or feeling overwhelmed at work is common more often than not. Understanding the reasons why this is true can help you learn to manage work stress in healthier ways. Take a little time to review the following common culprits of work stress — see if any resonate with you.
- Studies have shown that regular social media usage can have a negative impact on an individual’s wellbeing, so a simple fix is to limit your time on social media when at work.
- Clearly, the less time we can spend complaining about work, the more time we’ll have focused on things that make us happy.
- 💙 Breathe into Relaxation with this short meditation to help you release the pressure of stress in your body and mind after work.
- Focus instead on how to shrug off stress and enjoy your life when you’re not at work.
- Thus, listening to soothing tracks after work or before sleep can effectively combat everyday stress.
Some aspects of meditation are deep breathing techniques, visualization, and soothing music. Taking a quick meditation session may provide overall relaxation. That makes it one of the best de-stressing activities after work. Just like exercise, finding the right mental health exercises and relaxation activities can take a few tries. We’re all different, and enjoy different experiences, so give a few of these a go the next time you’re feeling stressed. While keeping feelings bottled up isn’t an optimal answer, when we spend what could be quality time with loved ones focused on all the stresses of the day, we lose more of our day to job stress.
Also, nature walks were more relaxing than physical exercise alone. If you are new to meditation or do not have the time, these apps provide sessions that are shorter than 10 minutes. The progress-tracking and engaging interface of gamified mindfulness apps make following up on your daily meditation easier. Workplace stress can seriously affect your happiness and well-being.
How to De-Stress After Work: 11 Tips to Unwind
Share your experiences with your colleagues—they probably have experienced similar struggles—and see if you can work towards solutions together, such as with scheduling conflicts or mandatory overtime. Bringing family and friends into the conversation can also help you feel less isolated and open doors to additional mental health resources. Adults should aim for seven to eight hours of sleep, per the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Sleep deficiency can cause impaired daily functioning, productivity, focus and judgment, as well as frustration, crankiness and worry— which can exacerbate workplace strain.
Can exercise really help me unwind after work?
Psych safety refers to the belief that you can be yourself, set boundaries, and speak up at work without facing punishment, rejection, or isolation. If you’re overwhelmed at work, it might be wise to forgo extra responsibility if possible. You could also let go of voluntary roles that cause you stress without bringing you any joy or opportunities. Consider writing a list of all the things that typically cause you a great deal of stress at work. Next to each, try to write at least two possible ways to manage those stressors ahead of time. If this isn’t possible at your workplace, try to spend some time reflecting on this outside of work.