5 tips to switch off from work and decrease overwhelm
More often than not, the reason for feeling overwhelmed with work is not about putting in extra long hours but being unable to switch off while not working.
I hear this often: "I get to work in the morning and feel as if I never left". We close our laptops at the end of the day but take the ideas and worries of today (or tomorrow) with us into our evening.
So when lack of motivation and tiredness sneak in, we may struggle to detect why. Running on autopilot, we're not even aware of how much mental and emotional energy we invest into our professional life outside the "official" hours.
Here are 5 ideas to help you prevent this from happening:
🔹 Finish your workday with a summary of what got done today + key things you will do tomorrow. This takes 5 minutes but gives your brain some clarity, focus, and as a result, calm.
🔹 Keep your daily to-do list realistic. If you've listed ten items, and each will likely take about 1 hour, you won't succeed in knocking them all down in 7-8 hours. As a result, the guilt, worry, and rumination about things that didn't get done will stay with you.
🔹 Create a ritual, a moment of transition, between the end of your workday and the beginning of your evening activities. Go for a walk or exercise; listen to a few of your favourite songs (I mean, really listen); dance; take a shower; play with your kid; listen to an audiobook for 15 minutes.
🔹 When anxiety hits, we often try to get rid of it by thinking about it. Instead, take 90 seconds and allow yourself to feel it. It may be uncomfortable at first, but dropping from your head into your body is the way out. Try the 4-8 breathing technique: breathe in for 4 seconds, and breathe out for 8, allowing for all sensations and emotions to be here, just as they are. Repeat for 6-8 cycles.
🔹 Explore deeper, by reflecting on questions like…
What's really making me think about work outside my working hours?
Deep down, what am I afraid of happening if I don't?
How likely is this scenario?
How might I minimise these fears/risks?
Typically, some form of "what if I'm not good / competent / responsible enough" is operating in the background.
