Do you struggle to switch off when you come home from work?
It could be that you are not giving your brain the signal that there has been a change, particularly if you are prone to thinking about your day on the way home, or perhaps overthinking your day.
One way to teach yourself to stop that train of thought, is to make a definite transition between home and school. Although you may be wanting to work at some point that evening, work at home should be distinct from work at school so that we don’t see our day as one continuum of stress and overwhelm.
You will probably have or find your own transition ideas but, to get you started, here are some very quick ones that I have used and found to work well:
- Have a cup of your favourite hot drink and sit with it when you get in the house, Herbal tea is nice, but you will have others that you enjoy
- Play a song and dance around – movement is great for getting rid of adrenaline from the day.
- Go and stand outside and look at the sky or, if you don’t have an outside, open a window and put your head out.
- Try some balanced breathing. Breathe in for a count of 6 and out for a count of 6. Do this 3 times.
- Write down in no more than 10 words, something you achieved today. It doesn’t have to be a work thing but it does need to be positive.
I am sure there are things you can add to the list and there are other things you can do which take more time and/or money. I like these because they are quick and free so I have no excuse not to do them.
Let me know in the comments if you have tried any of them, or if you have any good ones to add.