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10 Ways to Unwind After Work
Find it tough to wind down after a demanding workday?
Try these 10 strategies for shifting from office to home mode:
1. Leave work at the office. Resolve to not bring
work home in the evening (or limit it to two nights a week if absolutely
necessary).
2. Wind down your workday early. About two hours
before you leave work, make a list of what you need to accomplish
before you go and what you'll tackle tomorrow. You'll have ample
time to complete your tasks and can leave feeling like you've wrapped
up your day productively -- which leaves less fodder for after-work
worry.
3. Have a front-door catchall. Buy a large basket
or wooden box to place near your door. Immediately stash your briefcase
or work bag there when you walk in the door; don't pick it up again
until the next morning.
4. Sit quietly. Before you begin dinner, head to
the gym, or pick up your kids, take three to five minutes to close
your eyes and breathe deeply. Imagine drawing air into your stomach
and exhaling fully. This allows you to clear your mind and empty
out the workday stress.
5. Write it down. If a particularly difficult situation
at work has made it nearly impossible to relax once you're home,
grab a pen and a piece of paper. Write about the incident -- without
lifting your pen from the paper -- for three minutes. When you're
done venting on paper, tear up the sheet and throw it away.
6. Establish a ritual. Having a routine that you
follow every day can help you switch your mindset from work to home.
Talk about your kids' days at school as you sit around the kitchen
table, or drink a giant glass of lemonade -- pick something you
can look forward to every day, as the "official" start
of your evening.
7. Reduce clutter. A cluttered home can be overwhelming,
make you feel as if you're out of control, and magnify the stresses
of the day. Take five minutes before bed each night to straighten
up, so you'll have a pleasantly tidy house to come home to tomorrow.
8. Pipe in music. Invest in a portable CD player
and pop in your favorite tunes while you fix dinner, pay bills,
or do laundry. Upbeat, enjoyable music will make your chores more
fun.
9. Schedule chores judiciously. If you expect to
do laundry, dishes, and bills in one night, you'll likely feel anxious
about getting it all done. Instead, schedule each chore for a different
night, or save them for the weekend and simply relax after work.
10. Make your commute enjoyable. Listen to a book
on tape or a favorite CD, or use your time on the bus or train to
read one chapter of a new novel. Even a few minutes of doing something
that makes you happy helps to diffuse the day's stressors.
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