How to unwind after work: 13 tips to relax and de-stress

By sharing what’s on your mind, you don’t keep your stress bottled up, which often leads to an outburst at home or work. Also use your commute to mentally transition from work to home. Research has shown that thinking about something that you’re how to destress after work grateful for each day also reduces stress. Contrary to popular belief, cleaning isn’t always a dreaded chore.

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• Human touch may have a calming effect and help you better cope with stress.
• Find a job at a place that supports the kinds of things you’re looking for.
• Dr. Borland says that supplements may help, but more research is needed to fully understand all of their benefits.

You might feel as if you can’t do anything properly or you’ll never achieve your goals. If you consistently experience high levels of stress without taking steps to manage or reduce it, exhaustion eventually takes over — leaving you emotionally and physically burned out. There’s a reason why thousands of people have become obsessed with watching these oddly satisfying ASMR videos like soap and kinetic sand cutting.

How to Keep Work Stress from Taking Over Your Life

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. Fortunately, several evidence-based strategies can help you reduce stress and improve your overall psychological well-being. However, dietary supplements may not be appropriate or safe for everyone. Consult a healthcare professional if you’re interested in using supplements to help relieve stress. Yoga may help lower cortisol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate while increasing levels of gamma aminobutyric acid, a neurotransmitter that’s low in people with mood disorders. Another way to take control of your stress is to stay on top of your priorities and avoid procrastinating when you aren’t feeling stressed.

• By stimulating the release of serotonin, massage therapy offers a natural and effective way to alleviate stress and promote mental and physical relaxation.
• Try to keep your high standards in check by focusing on the effort you put into a project and not personalizing failure when you make a mistake.
• Because of this, meeting deadlines, managing relationships with colleagues, and striving to meet performance expectations can feel directly tied to our overall sense of self and wellbeing.
• You don’t need to have a mental health condition to try therapy.
• The demands of work can often leave us feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and mentally fatigued, impacting our ability to relax and recharge effectively.

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Luckily, there are plenty of stress relief techniques out there to choose from. By Elizabeth Scott, PhDElizabeth Scott, PhD is an author, workshop leader, educator, and award-winning blogger on stress management, positive psychology, relationships, and emotional wellbeing. It can involve mentally going over what you’re looking forward to in the rest of your evening, or texting a loved one and refocusing your attention to your life. Do your best to use commute time as a “transition time,” during which you reset and refocus. Think of it as having some “me-time” to prepare for what you are going to walk into when you get home. While perfectionism has some positive benefits, it can also be highly stressful and lead to burnout.

Unwinding after work isn’t just a luxury—it’s a necessity for maintaining mental and emotional balance in our lives. The demands of work can often leave us feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and mentally fatigued, impacting our ability to relax and recharge effectively. Research has shown that chronic stress and overwork can increase the risk of burnout, anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. Also, remember that some people, especially those with serious mental health issues and a history of abuse or trauma, may have feelings of emotional discomfort during some relaxation techniques. Although this is rare, if you have emotional discomfort during relaxation techniques, stop what you’re doing.

Create a relaxing home environment to help you unwind after work. Write about your day to help process your thoughts and emotions. This practice may allow you to de-stress from work and plan ahead with a clearer mind.