5 After Work Routines to Help Prevent Burnout

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Burnout is a real problem, especially for those who are working, trying to juggle family, and trying to maintain social lives. After work routines are crucial to avoiding burnout. By creating a life outside of work you’ll have a healthy balance between work and your life outside of work.

Developing an after work routine that helps you to relax and rejuvenate after a long day of work can make all the difference.

In this post, we will share 5 after work routines as well as important things to keep in mind when creating an after-work routine. Prior to doing that, let’s talk about a few things that we recommend you do while implementing and planning an after work routine.

After Work Routines Require Healthy Boundaries

After a long day at work, it’s important to set aside time for some relaxation. You can do this by setting a specific time period where you won’t look at any work emails or take business calls. This means if you say you are stopping the workday at 5:15, no more work communication after that time.

Allowing work to creep into your life after work can be very stressful and you can build unhealthy habits. After work relaxation is key to ensure that each evening is spent de-stressing and recharging, rather than worrying about tasks that need to be done tomorrow. In order to do this properly, pick a time each day that you’ll stop working. Then, stick to your boundaries.

Now, we are well aware that sometimes things come up at work but we’d like to you meet this goal 95% of the time. This will be key in creating your after work routine – you must start by setting boundaries with work.

If you struggle with this, try muting your notifications for work communication tools and work emails.

Identify Stressors to Create the Best After Work Routine

Managing stress and unwinding after a long day at work is essential for both physical and mental well-being. Taking the time to identify what your triggers are, such as time pressure or difficult colleagues, helps you be more aware of them.

Once identified, it’s time to start developing strategies for managing them in order to better relax.

There are many different ways to accomplish this, such as exercising, listening to music, doing something creative like painting or drawing and simply taking some me-time. Get creative with your relaxation strategies and make sure you make an effort to relax once you’re off the clock!

If you are worried about time or a deadline, try to practice some mindfulness techniques. If you struggle with a difficult colleague, you may just need some quality relaxation time. Try to set up an after work routine that will help with your work stressors.

Practice Mindfulness to Achieve Balance After Work

When you are not at work, keep your mind in tune with your current moment. Being mindful will allow you to be present and not worry about the day ahead or the future. Mindfulness is a technique that can be used to increase self-awareness, reduce anxiety, and focus on the now.

There are many mindfulness techniques to practice, and most of them fall into the after work routines category focused on relaxation. Try to be present by observing your environment, being present in what you’re doing at that exact moment, and grounding yourself.

Now that we’ve covered a few different tips to help you before you decide how you’ll unwind after work, we can get into the 5 different routines!

After Work Routine 1: Get Creative

After a long day of work, it’s likely that you may just want to take off your work clothes, sit on the couch, and try to avoid thinking about work. But what if you challenged yourself to focus your mental energy on something beneficial? Did you know that creativity can increase positive emotions, reduce anxiety, and improve immune system functioning?

The “get creative” after-work plan may be one of our favorite after work routines! Creativity will allow you to focus on something that frees your mind, you can embrace your true self, and you’ll be able to express any pent-up emotions.

Creative After Work Routines You’ll Love:

• Make a vision board or create a collage
• Turn on your favorite music and dance around
• Paint, draw, sketch
• Tackle a DIY project
• Create a garden outside
• Invite some friends over and learn a new craft like knitting or embroidery
• Try a cooking class

After Work Routine 2: Move your Body

If the creative ideas aren’t for you, maybe you’ll like these ideas. We love taking walks in the morning to help energize your day but what about moving your body after work?

One great way to improve your mood after work, forget about work, and recharge is through exercise! There are so many different fun exercises you can try out that you’ll never run out of ideas.

Additionally, practicing yoga or engaging in other kinds of exercise can help to clear your mind and boost positivity after a long day. Exercise releases endorphins which can lift your mood, reduce stress and increase focus, meaning you will be more ready to relax and have fun when the time comes.

We suggest pilates or yoga. Research has shown that pilates and yoga can help to relieve stress, reduce anxiety, and reduce negative emotions. While there are many other workouts that you can try – raising your heart right and doing intense exercise before bed can make it difficult to follow a good sleep hygiene schedule. Try low-intensity exercise for the best results if you work out close to bedtime.

Exercise Routines You’ll Love:

• Yin Yoga
• Gentle pilates
• A brisk walk around the neighborhood
• Swimming
• Hiking
• TRX
• Tai Chi

If working out after work isn’t ideal for you but you’d still like to add it to your routine, here are some tips on making time for workouts.

After Work Routine 3: Utilize Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation should always be at the top of your to-do list – no matter how swamped you are with work. You can even stack some relaxation ideas on top of other routines.

After a long day at work, it’s important to carve out some time for yourself and just relax. Make sure that you dedicate a part of each day to something you enjoy doing, like reading a book or taking a walk. These activities can help you wind down after work so that you don’t end up feeling burned out.

Even if it is only fifteen minutes of the day, those fifteen minutes could make all the difference in helping restore your energy and keep burnout at bay!

Incorporating activities like yoga or meditation can help reduce stress and promote relaxation, leading to a healthier balance between both the mind and body. Taking time for yourself after a long day of work can ensure that you are recharged and ready for the next one.

Relaxation Techniques You’ll love:

• Get a massage
• Practice deep breathing exercises
• Practice EFT Tapping
• Try Mindfulness Meditation
• Listen to calming music
• Take a long, relaxing bath
• Journal
• Yoga

After Work Routine 4: Spend time with Family and Friends

Spending time with friends and family is one of the best ways to relax after a long day at work. Just chatting and having quality time with your loved ones can take off a lot of stress and help you regain your energy.

One great way to relax and de-stress is by connecting with people over a meal or engaging in meaningful conversations. Taking the time to catch up or have dinner with friends, family, or loved ones can help ease stress levels and reenergize your body for the next day.

Additionally, having a support system to rely on can help reduce stress and foster a sense of connection. This might be exactly what you need to relax after a long day.

Social After Work Routines You’ll Love:

• Grabbing happy hour with friends
• Trying out a new restaurant with loved ones
• Taking an exercise class with a friend or family member
• Facetiming or catching up with a loved one over the phone
• Go on a walk or hike with a friend after work
• Try a group activity with a friend – painting, volunteering, etc.

Spending time with loved ones can reduce stress, increase self-esteem, and help prevent loneliness. This is a great way to unwind after work.

After Work Routine 5: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone

When work gets tough, you may need a big distraction to allow you to unwind and decompress. When you step outside of your comfort zone, you can grow and boost your self esteem. You’ll want to give your full attention to the task at hand and this means – you won’t think about work!

Step outside of your comfort zone after work routines you’ll love:

• Learn a new language
• Pick up a new hobby that you find challenging
• Put yourself in a safe social situation where you meet entirely new people (meet up group)
• Take a free class online to learn something new
• Take an improv class
• Try aerial yoga
• Do anything that makes you feel accomplished after you step outside your comfort zone

Final Thoughts

We hope that you’ll be able to try one of these after work routines after you’ve had a long day at work. We also want to remind you that if you are incredibly exhausted from work, it’s best to just relax. Go straight for the relaxing after work routines section and pick one from the list.

By adding new activities to your day after work, you’ll build up habits that allow you to have a fulfilling and fun life outside of work.

Let us know if you’ve tried any of these after routines and if you think we should add any new ideas to the list!

xx,

T&W