When you come into the office each day you bring along with you your professional self. This isn’t a completely different person in most instances, just an altered version of you that is primed and ready to take on your professional tasks. Your work self and your home self are two separate entities and knowing how to shut one off in order to relax with the other is an important part of maintaining a healthy work/life balance. At Technalink we encourage our teams to leave their professional selves at work, and use their time at home to nourish and take care of their personal selves.
Turning off your work brain can be easier said than done for many, but there are a few tricks you can use to release your professional self after work so you can enjoy quality downtime and rest. One simple idea is to keep a work journal, and to spend the first 15 minutes after coming home writing in this journal as a “shut off” ritual. In this journal you can jot down anything that might be causing stress or anxiety, anything you might want to ask yourself about the following day, or simply any work-related issue that might be on your mind. Once the journal is shut, so is your work self, and it’s time to allow yourself to embrace quality time spent at home.
Exercise is another excellent way to transition from your work to your home life. For those who might be feeling stress or anxiety, exercise helps to burn off those stress-related chemicals within the body that might be causing this carry-over effect. Once you’re done with your walk, run, or session at the gym, you’ll find that you feel lighter and ready to enjoy your personal time.
Sometimes what someone really needs is a reminder and some encouragement regarding their work/life balance. The OM Factor now on audiobook format is an excellent way to sit back, relax, and listen to ways you can encourage yourself to maintain a balanced and spiritually healthy life. You can listen on your commute home, while you’re making dinner, as you sit and have some wind-down time, or even while you’re at the gym.
Learning to shut off your work brain is a way to maintain a healthy work/life balance. With a few tips and strategies at hand, you could be well on your way to getting more enjoyment out of time that should be actively enjoyed!
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