While it can be challenging to let go of stress when you clock out of the office, there are many techniques that can help you release worrisome thoughts and feelings.
If you think about how many hours of the day you spend focused on work, chances are it’s more than the 8-hour workday. Caught up in our fast-paced lives and busy schedules, work-life balance is something many of us grapple with.
Let’s be honest: Shutting off our work brains and shifting into relaxation mode is easier said than done. On top of the pressure to perform, it can be hard to juggle all of your daily responsibilities — not to mention being present for your friends and family and enjoying yourself when you’re outside of the office.
Even if you love what you do, your job can still be a source of stress. At the end of the day, it can be hard to leave stress at the door, and for many people, it can negatively affect their downtime.
“Mindful breathing can help you focus on the moment, the here and now, which should help alleviate some of the stress from work,” says Holly Schiff, a licensed clinical psychologist in Connecticut and New York.
What happens at work can seep into our personal lives, from dinner time to relaxing in front of the television. When you find yourself ruminating over work issues, consider a verbal and mental strategy.
For many professionals, leaving work stress and worries at the office can feel impossible. With remote work continuing to rise the boundaries between work and personal life have blurred. Being able to mentally detach from the demands of work when you clock out is critical for avoiding burnout and maintaining work-life balance.
Learning how to avoid taking your job home with you enables you to be present with loved ones, engage in hobbies, and protect your mental health. Here are 10 tips to help you leave work at work:
1. Set a Cutoff Time
Be disciplined about stopping work at a set time each day. Don’t let yourself continue working into the night out of guilt or a perfectionist mindset Decide on a work cutoff time that allows you to wind down and enjoy non-work activities Log off on time even if you didn’t finish everything.
2. Minimize After Hours Emails
Only check and respond to email during designated work hours. Disable push notifications on your phone so you aren’t tempted to check constantly. Set an away message outside normal hours. Limit checking email to once in the morning, mid-day, and before leaving.
3. Keep a Separate Work Phone
If your job provides you with a work cell phone, use it exclusively for job-related communications. Leave it turned off or in another room after hours and on weekends. This prevents you from obsessively checking it during personal time.
4. Use Your Commute to Decompress
Don’t extend your work by making calls or replying to messages while commuting. Use your commute to trigger the mental transition from work to home. Listen to music, a podcast, or audiobook. Do mindful breathing exercises.
5. Change Your Physical Location
If possible, work in a different area of your home than where you relax after work. Keep your work desk out of sight if working in a shared living space. Changing locations helps you associate those places with either work or personal time.
6. Have a Post-Work Ritual
Develop a practice that signals work is done for the day such as taking a walk, reading, or having a cup of tea. This routine primes your brain to wind down. Avoid screens and news during this time.
7. Keep a Work Journal
Jot down any unfinished tasks, deadlines, or lingering concerns for the day in a notebook before you leave work. Recording these helps get them out of your head so you aren’t preoccupied by them after hours.
8. Focus on Non-Work Relationships
Make an effort to devote quality time to family and friends outside of work. Disconnect from colleagues after hours. Spend time strengthening important personal relationships to remind yourself of other meaningful life roles.
9. Do What You Enjoy
Prioritize hobbies and activities you find fun and relaxing in your free time after work. Whether it’s exercising, cooking, reading, or socializing with friends, spend time off doing what energizes you.
10. Practice Mindfulness
Build mindfulness habits like meditating, journaling, and living intentionally. Be fully present in the current moment rather than dwelling on the past or future. Mindfulness reduces stress and helps you detach from work worries.
Achieving work-life balance takes conscious effort and discipline. But establishing these boundaries is essential for your mental well-being and avoiding burnout. With consistency, leaving work at work can become second nature. What matters most is that you disengage and devote time to recharge.
Create a transition strategy
It’s helpful to begin the transition from work life to home life on the way home.
This will signal to your brain that you’re leaving work and now entering your home life and relaxing mode.
The transition can be something like taking a relaxing shower or bath — where you can even symbolize you’re washing away the work worries and stress, Schiff explains.
You might even change out of your work clothes into something comfortable and do something soothing/relaxing for yourself.
Or you can choose something fun! Dr. Natalie Bernstein, a licensed psychologist in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, recommends an audiobook, a special playlist, or a podcast to help shift your thoughts away from work.
You could crack your window and visualize all the irritating moments from your workday flying out the opening. You can ake a few minutes and take a few deep breaths before entering your living space.
Learn to separate your identity of who you are from what you do.
“We can get sucked into the idea that we need to always be available and that we’re the only ones who can solve work-related issues, but for the most part, issues can wait until the next work day,” says Bernstein.
You might try this exercise
- Observe your thoughts with compassion as they arise and tell yourself “Here come the story [or the thoughts] about work.”
- For 60 seconds, close your eyes and practice mindful breathing and listening.
- Observe if any deeper emotions rise to the surface. Perhaps you’re feeling sad, exhilarated, or enraged.
- Label these feelings and sit with them as you continue to practice mindful breathing and listening.
- As you label each feeling, speak compassionately to it. For example, you could say, “I choose to let you go.”
- Complete this exercise by placing your attention on your breath or surrounding sounds. Gently open your eyes.
If you find unwinding at the end of the day to be challenging, try this visualization.
How to Leave Your Problems at Work
Why is it important to leave work at work?
“It’s important to leave work at work because it actually helps you perform better both professionally and personally,” Schiff states. “When you have a good work-life balance, it helps you be more present in your personal life as well as attentive and productive professionally during your work hours.
Should you leave work if you’re not available?
Leave work at work where it belongs for your own mental peace and well-being.” It’s wise to set work boundaries, so others know when you’re not available. You shouldn’t be accessible all of the time, so you can make sure you unplug after a certain hour. For white-collar positions, Schiff recommends:
How do I leave work at work?
One great way to leave work at work is to schedule a time to do what you enjoy. This may include engaging in hobbies like crafting, solving puzzles or spending time with your family. If you often bring work devices home, consider storing them in a bag or drawer to help you focus on enjoyable activities.
What happens if you leave work at work?
By leaving your work at work, you can do other activities that are good for your mental health, like reading and spending time with friends and loved ones. Leaving work at work provides you with more time to meditate, exercise, and do yoga or other physical activities. It’s vital to invest your time in maintaining or improving your physical health.
