Lugging some, or all, of your work stress home with you will not do you or your family any good. Learn to leave work stress at the door of your office.

Heading for home

Heading home after a full day of work can be a liberating experience or a put down. It all depends on whether you lug work problems and stress home with you or whether you leave them at the door of your office. Lugging your stress home will not only impact your health negatively but also your marriage and family life. You owe it to yourself as well as to your family to make sure your work stress stays at the office.

Ditch the stress

Make the commitment today not to allow work-related stress to encroach on your free and family time. Here are six suggestions that may help you:

  1. End your day at the office on a good note. Make a clean break by reviewing your schedule for the next day, making sure you’re aware of any meetings or calls for the next day and by tying up any loose ends so that you can truly disconnect when you walk out the door. Do not leave any business hanging that you can quickly take care of. Also, tidy your desk and workstation before leaving and say a friendly good bye to your colleagues.
  2. Truly disconnect. Start by shutting down your smartphone or, at the very least, your work-related email alerts. Let people know that when you walk out of the office door you are unavailable for work but all available and present to your family and friends.
  3. Try to relax and unwind while driving home by listening to soothing music (not the news), by taking deep breaths and where possible make use of alternative routes to escape the traffic. If your ride home is more stressful than a whole day’s work, consider taking a coffee break (away from the office) or going to the gym until most of the traffic has passed. Where possible, rather take a bus or train to and from work and reach home relaxed and refreshed.
  4. Beware of meeting colleagues for an after work drink that escalates into a venting session against everything that went wrong at work. This will do you no good and cause you to get home all stressed out. Rather meet a friend who makes you laugh and see the bright side of things.
  5. Don’t check your smartphone before going to bed or open your laptop to answer a few emails. Refrain from second-guessing the decisions you made during the day; you can’t change them now. Be strict with yourself.
  6. Switch off and fully immerse yourself in family activities or other non work-related interests. Remember all work and no fun truly makes Jack (and you) a dull boy (or girl).

Sources

Pecul, C. How to shut down your work stress after you leave the office. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/24/how-to-leave-work-at-the-office_n_6016360.html
Smith, J. 14 things you should do at the end of every work day. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/08/28/14-things-you-should-do-at-the-end-of-every-work-day/#630257b52ae2
Tartakovsky, M. Four ways to leave work at work. Retrieved from: https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/03/14/4-ways-to-leave-work-at-work