Written by Chloe Brundish
Most people take the stress of work home with them without even realising it, but leaving work at work can decrease your stress levels and increase your happiness. It is so important to put yourself and your mental health first and everything else second and so many people forget this so it is crucial for you to know how to de-stress and wind your mind down after a stressful day at work.
Here are a few examples of activities you can do to forget about work worries and troubles:
Meditate:
When you get home from work, try and do some calming yoga or breathing exercises to help you de-stress and clear your mind.
This has many great benefits such as helping you get to sleep faster, reducing your blood pressure, helping ease anxiety and improving your quality of sleep, meaning you can wake up feeling refreshed and calm.
Journaling:
Writing down your thoughts and worries can help you to clear your mind and that will make it easier for you to sleep as you won’t have a busy mind.
Drink a Mug of Chamomile Tea:
Chamomile tea has tranquilising properties due to the antioxidant, apigenin. This binds to specific receptors in your brain that lessens anxiety and will help you to relax.
Take a Hot Bath:
A bath has also been found to be a tranquiliser and will help you to wind down and relax. The heat of the bath will also make you sleepy and therefore stops you from thinking about work and your worries. Adding lavender to your bath will also help with relaxing, so you could use lavender bath salts, bubble baths or body washes.
Put Comfy Clothes On:
Take your work clothes off as soon as you get home so that your body knows that you’re no longer at work. By putting comfy clothes on, such as loungewear or pyjamas, you’re telling your body that it is now time to relax and unwind.
Read a Book:
Reading a book will help you to relax and focus your mind on something other than work and your worries. It will also help you to ‘escape reality’ and forget about everything on your mind.
Watch Your Favourite Movie/Show:
Just like reading, watching your comfort movie/show will transport you into another world and you will focus solely on what you’re watching and nothing else.
If your favourite thing to watch is a competitive sport such as football or Formula 1, I would recommend not watching them when you’re already feeling stressed, as there is nothing worse than watching your favourite team/driver lose; this will probably make you feel even worse.
Listen To Music & Sing-Along:
Singing along to music is a great way to release tension and let go of stress. As you sing along, the cortisol hormone in your body decreases, this is the same hormone that increases when you’re stressed, scientifically proving that music is a perfect destresser.
Hopefully, now you know exactly what to do after a stressful day at work to keep your mental health healthy and how to look after yourself by relieving all of your stress from work.