When your workday is done, do you still carry much of the stress of your work with you into your off-work hours? Be sure to leave work stress behind – even in lockdown!

During lockdown, it can be difficult to switch off due to the blurring of the lines between work / personal time in our new working from home arrangements.

Whether you work at home or go to an office, it’s important for there to be a separation between your work and personal life. Without a clear gap, you will not be able to de-stress. Being able to leave that stress behind is crucially important to your quality of life.

Keeping your stress with you can also result in chronic stress, which contributes to many serious health issues.

If you are finding that you continue to think about work events after working hours or you are having difficulty with letting go of your stress, consider these tips to de-stress, so you can enjoy your time away from work.

Try these activities to melt away your workday stress:

1. Pause your work email and social notifications

As soon as your day is complete, turn off your tech notifications for a couple of hours while you have dinner and enjoy the company of your family. You’ll feel less stressed and your relationships and social life will benefit. Eating your dinner in peace also helps digestion.

2. Exercise

Hands down, the best way to limit stress in your life is to exercise. Not only can exercise help to lower cortisol (stress hormone) but you’ll also be focused on the exercise and not what’s going on at work.

3. Get a plant

Having something very simple to take care of and nurture can be a really easy way to limit your stress. Most plants are great for feng shui, as long as you care for them well. Plants with soft and rounded leaves are typically best, as they promote gentle and nourishing energy.

4. Vent when necessary

If you tend to keep things bottled up inside, consider making a healthy change in your life and discuss the stressful issues with a close friend, family member, support group, or counsellor when you feel it’s necessary. They can help you work through and maybe even resolve the issue.

5. Avoid stimulants

Coffee, tea, energy drinks – they all contain stimulants like caffeine and taurine which can make you feel wired, and in some cases, more prone to feeling stressed out. Avoiding or limiting your consumption of stimulant-rich foods and drinks can help your body to feel more balanced and lower your cortisol levels.

6. Engage in an activity that you love

Whether it’s a hobby, dancing, or playing with your kids, doing something that you enjoy takes your mind off work and melts away your stress. Taking time to do these things is never selfish, but a vitally important part of healthy self-care! Best of all, find an activity where you move around. In my case, this is Mountain Bike Riding as I get a double dose of relaxation from the exercise and the enjoyment of riding with family and friends or solo.

7. Meditate

Meditating can reduce stress, strengthen your mental and physical health, and bring you the serenity of greater inner peace. All it takes is practice – daily is best! Meditating for a few minutes when your workday is done will give you that much-needed gap between work and free time, so you can leave your work stress behind and fully enjoy your off-work hours.

Don’t feel continuously tied to your work any longer! Make sure to schedule in “you” time while working from home and add in elements suggested above to ensure you get the downtime you deserve.

Do you need assistance evaluating your role and where things are going wrong or just need a little kick start to get you on the right track? Do you find you struggle to leave work stress behind?

At Executive Entourage, we have Coaching/Mentoring programs that can assist you to regain a successful work-life balance. We are here to listen and guide you with your chosen path if that be:

• increasing work-life balance;
• working on your career plan;
• evaluating the gaps; or
• finding out what is holding you back from your dream role.

Be sure to Contact Us for a confidential conversation on how we can best assist you.

Find that you wish to read more on the subject – head on over to the Forbes article 12 ways to eliminate stress at work