Research has found that picking recovery activities you find personally satisfying and meaningful is more likely to help you feel recovered by the next morning. Although an overhaul of work conditions and culture is needed to address the rise in people experiencing burnout, there are still many things we can do ourselves to deal with it now. It can involve mentally going over what you’re looking forward to in the rest of your evening, or texting a loved one and refocusing your attention to your life. However, if you find yourself stressing or ruminating over problems at work, it’s best to leave that burden at work. Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change. Increased leisure control reduces strain by helping you feel more in charge of your life and able to put aside a bad day with something that lifts you up and is autonomous.
It takes a few seconds to do this one time, she says, but repeated many times over the course of a day, it can significantly lower one’s daily experience of stress. “When you open your eye, give your body and brain the ability to open the other eye and just rest in the moment, acclimate to the morning, the light,” says Nerurkar. “Giving yourself that little moment of pause, of grounding at the start how to destress after work of your day can be a game changer.” Nerurkar cites research that people touch their phones — taps, swipes and clicks — an average of 2,617 times a day. “So that fight-or-flight response is always on, at a low hum in the background,” she explains, keeping the amygdala in overdrive. It’s important to do things that make you happy or content as you are doing them – and doing them for yourself.
The Elephant In the Rooms Of Corporate India: Mental health
After all, we spend a significant part of our waking hours at work. These strategies can help you leave your work stress where it belong—at work. All too often, people choose the latter option when the former—letting the drive home be a freeing experience—is so much more beneficial. Let employees know you want them to leave the workday at the office and live a healthy life outside it, since a fresh and energized mind is the key to productivity in the knowledge economy.
The 2,617 number includes each time a person touches their phone in a day, including swipes, clicks and taps. Nerurkar’s fifth and final reset has ways to counter one of the most common impacts of stress on people’s psyches — awakening the inner critic and making people more negative. And studies show that breaks improve cognition and performance at work. For many people today, “constantly working and not taking breaks” has become the norm, says Nerurkar. It happens because our brains are overstimulated by the constant barrage of information coming at us online, which then makes it hard for people to disconnect from their devices and settle into the slower pace of life offline. “Our brain circuitry starts to pop from that extended time spent online,” says Nerurkar.
How to Relieve Job Stress After Work
Recovery can take place both during the workday (internal recovery) and outside of work (external recovery). This means creating enough balance in your life to include leisure time and hobbies. It means cultivating healthy relationships to help you feel fulfilled and take your mind off of stress.
- “During the work week, I set my phone alarm to ring once every two hours as a needed reminder to step away from my computer, stretch, walk around, and get a drink of water,” an EVP of a multinational technology company recounted.
- And nearly half of all respondents said they wished they had someone to help them manage their stress.
- Purposefully slowing down and being conscious of your surroundings can keep you relaxed throughout the week.
- The workforce is tired, and employees are increasingly citing burnout as a reason for leaving their current employer.
- With some planning, you can make your commute home into an experience you look forward to rather than another obstacle to overcome before you can relax.