Time sure has a way of flying, especially when the weather’s nice and summer’s finally come around.
If you’ve been following us on social media, such as our Facebook page, you’ve probably noticed that here at Modern College and our sister school CTS Canadian Career College we’ve been celebrating Employee Wellness Month.
We’ve spoken about the importance of taking wellness pauses, going out with colleagues, and even taking advantage of nature. So, while the month is almost over, we wanted to share one final and important piece about a topic that we feel ties all of the themes of this month together: decompressing after work.
To some it might feel like a waste of time to even get into it, but if there’s one thing we encourage here at our beauty and esthetics school it’s to take some time for yourself as well!
The Importance of Decompressing after Work
For a lot of people, work doesn’t really end after they clock out from their place of work, nor even when they finally get home and kick off their shoes. It’s not just phone calls or messages from your colleagues that might hang around, but if you work in a high stress environment – or even just had a busy day – it can be hard to reclaim the mental space for yourself sometimes.
This makes it so important that we practice some self-care when we’re on our own and have either a routine or at least some tactics for helping us decompress and shed the stress from the workplace. While for some, going out for a massage or a spa day once in a while are exactly what’s needed, there are fortunately a number of things we can do even right at home to help us start feeling like ourselves again.
Take advantage of daily fresh air and movement. If you work inside all day, getting outside – and for more than just walking to your car in the parking lot – can do wonders sometimes. While we might come up with reasons not to, being outside can help us detach from things, clear our heads, and find our own space.
Some easy ideas would be to take the dog out for a walk, or just go for a walk around the block ourselves. Alternatively, if you’re more of the active type, a jog or short bike ride can also make a difference by helping boost endorphins and letting you find some release after work.
Practice mindfulness. A lot of people talk about mindfulness, and get into explaining what it is, but at its basics it’s really just about letting yourself be present. This could include sitting peacefully in nature, putting on headphones for guided meditation, or even taking up a yoga class.
Of course, if we’re feeling high strung, sometimes sitting and doing nothing is harder than it seems. However, the more we practice, the easier it will be to get into a calm state in the future – we just have to invest in ourselves.
Aim for a good night’s sleep. Sleep is really essential for our daily functioning – not just the quantity in terms of hours but the quality too. Investing in a good mattress is something that will pay dividends for years, but also having a solid routine before bed too.
Some things that a lot of people find helpful include no screens for an hour or so before bed (and particularly no scary movies if you’re the type to get all riled up from those). The same goes for exercise – a workout before bed will probably cause us to still feel pretty active long after we close our eyes.
Practice staying positive. This is another one you might hear a lot, but like other things we listed, it’s one where practice can really pay off. The more positive we are, the less likely we will let the little things bother us or drag us down (or even make us want to spiral).
It’s also not as easy said as done, and requires both practice and effort. Combining it with mindfulness and exercise, and having these as things you genuinely start to look forward to after work, can make a big difference.
Take pride in your work. There’s probably nothing worse than feeling like you’re wasting your time when you’re on the clock. It can lead you to feeling disassociated and even lethargic if it goes on for too long.
While some jobs will always be boring, it’s possible to make the best of a lot of situations if we keep track of our achievements and what we accomplish each day. Whether it’s setting goals, keeping track of tasks we complete, or other little things, if we feel like we had a full day, it may be easier to leave it behind us without lingering worry.
So there you have it – that’s just a couple of ideas for helping you decompress after a long day’s work. There are certainly other things people can do, and if you have a few good ideas or practices of your own, by all means join the discussion and share your insights on our Facebook page!