How to De-Stress After Work: 11 Tips to Unwind

how to destress after a bad day at work

Learning to communicate effectively at work may help you reduce stressful situations if your culture allows it. For example, you can focus on your breath for 1 minute and then mentally repeat a positive affirmation for 3 minutes. You could also write down this affirmation on a Word document and focus on the screen for a few minutes while you read it in your mind. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), meditation is an effective way to achieve mental and physical relaxation. While it’s not possible to eliminate all stress from your life, you can learn to cope with it and manage your reactions to stressful situations. Spend time with family or friends, sharing experiences and enjoying laughter together to enhance your mood and create a supportive environment to unwind after work.

  • Music has many psychological benefits, including helping to relieve feelings of stress.
  • Ask a friend or co-worker to be a sounding board as you talk out your issues.
  • 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.
  • Work-related stress or feeling overwhelmed at work is common more often than not.

Relying on a solid support network

You don’t need to have a mental health condition to try therapy. Feeling overwhelmed at work is a valid reason to seek additional help and support. Try to set aside quiet time to talk with your manager and calmly discuss feeling overwhelmed by challenging tasks. Approach the conversation from a place of solving the problem rather than listing complaints.

Online meditation options

Evidence suggests that having some type of routine can be a great way combat the negative effects of stress. Plus, consistency helps you feel more in control and able to know what to expect. After scrambling to get the kids fed and off to school, dodging traffic and combating road rage, and gulping down coffee in how to destress after work lieu of a healthy breakfast, many people arrive to work already stressed. Research has indicated that the percentage of Americans who are stressed at work is high—and it’s only getting higher. According to Pew Research Center, a little more than half of adults find that their job is stressful some of the time.

  • Share your experiences with your colleagues—they probably have experienced similar struggles—and see if you can work towards solutions together, such as with scheduling conflicts or mandatory overtime.
  • Try to address the more tiresome or less appealing tasks for an early sense of relief that may make the rest of the day feel less stressful.
  • So, think about whether the stress is a buildup or related to a more long-term issue.
  • If you’re home is small, make sure that the area you use for work can be easily packed away, so you can’t see it from the corner of your eye when you are relaxing.

Practice mindfulness or meditation

how to destress after a bad day at work

So, if you feel like you’re burning out, what works when it comes to recovering from stress? If you’re feeling stressed, upset, or overwhelmed after a bad day at work, you might be tempted to crawl right into bed when the workday is done. But one of the best things you can do to shake https://ecosoberhouse.com/ that bad day off and give yourself a much needed mood boost? Some aspects of meditation are deep breathing techniques, visualization, and soothing music. Taking a quick meditation session may provide overall relaxation. That makes it one of the best de-stressing activities after work.

  • Working with a healthcare professional if these strategies don’t work is highly advised.
  • So, if you feel like you’re burning out, what works when it comes to recovering from stress?
  • Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares how you can change your mindset to cope with stress in a healthy way.
  • Fortunately, there are tips and tricks that can help you get your cortisol levels down.

tips for handling stress at work in the moment

how to destress after a bad day at work

How to De-Stress After Work: 11 Tips to Unwind

how to destress after a bad day at work

Prepare a healthy meal

Honing your time management skills