How to handle stress at work

Taking even a few minutes of personal time during a busy day can help prevent burnout. Clearly, the less time we can spend complaining about work, the more time we’ll have focused on things that make us happy. This week, try to notice how much time you spend complaining about work and see if this is the right amount of time for you. Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change. Running keeps your brain young, combats worry, and improves your mood. If you’re not an avid runner, going for a quick walk will suffice.

After a stressful workday, try skipping the subway and walking home (or just getting off a few stops early to stretch your legs). Many people bring work home with them, whether physically or psychologically. This prevents them from letting go of the anxiety of their jobs and giving their full attention to personal matters. To avoid this problem, we recommend how to destress after work creating an intentional transition from “work mode” to “home mode” at the end of each workday. During our work as executive therapists, we’ve helped many entrepreneurs, executives, and busy professionals cope with work-related anxiety. One of the most common questions these individuals ask is how to de-stress and unwind after a long day of work.

Enjoy Your Commute Home

If you’re struggling with an especially challenging work week, try asking parent friends if they can help out with carpooling your kids to school on certain days. Keep in touch with trusted friends and family members to help cope with stressful work situations. Listening to an interesting podcast in between meetings or watching a funny Youtube video can give you relaxing pauses throughout the day. Identifying and recording stressful situations can help you understand what’s bothering you. Some of these can be subtle sources of tension, such as an uncomfortable workspace or a long commute. 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.

Socializing and spending time with loved ones for emotional support can be a great distraction that helps you decompress after work. Spending quality time with the people you care for lets you connect, process emotions, and gain new perspectives. It’s very natural to seek emotional support when dealing with difficult co-workers.

ways to relax after a busy week

There are many reasons we do this, but there are more important reasons why we can and should learn to stop. Read on to gain a greater understanding of how smart people unwittingly magnify job stress, and how you can leave work at work as much as you possibly can. This can decrease your stress levels, prevent burnout, and increase your overall happiness.

The adrenaline produced at this time shuts down the functioning of the immune system and the gut by decreasing their blood supply. Cooking can be a de-stressing technique and there is nothing better way than cooking something you like and enjoying a great meal. Relaxing massages with soothing music help to release serotonin, a hormone responsible for maintaining a person’s mood. Knowing how to separate what happens in our work life from our personal life is very important, as this will allow us to live a much calmer and happier life. We’ll skip all the typical recommendations — Netflix, Prime Video, etc. — and suggest some deeper cuts, namely music videos and video game content on YouTube.

Special Health Reports

You may need to dedicate some additional time to decompress as you take a bath, go on a walk, stretch, listen to a meditation, or journal. It doesn’t have to take long; just 5 minutes of deep breathing makes a big difference for some people. Another option, which has been shown to calm us down by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, is doing some deep breathing exercises. There are many online guides to deep breathing, but here is a brief description of how it is commonly done.

If you want to know how to de-stress after work but don’t want to have to make much effort, meditation might be just what you’ve been looking for. Bring awareness to the present moment, ease your mind, and promote relaxation. De-stressing after a long day of work with meditation is a proven practice that reduces stress, increases focus, and supports mental well-being. Combine meditation for stress with deep breathing exercises to further reduce stress hormone levels. If you struggle with knowing how to relax after work, you’re not alone.