Work-life balance is essential to maintaining a fulfilled and healthy life. But many of us struggle with it day to day.
The increase of remote and flexible working options has helped many people regain time back from their commutes. No longer are many of us stuck in a car or on public transport travelling to and from our place of work.
But the time spent commuting did have secret benefits. Those minutes - or hours - spent travelling home from work were moments to unwind, to reflect and to transform from work to home mode.
When working from home, we still need that time to recover after work.
Here are a few tips to help you wind down, whether you commute from a distant office block or from your dining table workspace.
#1 Listen
Just as we often swap the commuting sounds of engines and tooting horns for music and radio, end your remote working day by listening to something you enjoy.
When you close your laptop at the end of the work day, start to switch off by listening to the radio, blasting out some tunes or enjoying your favourite podcast.
This small amount of downtime allows our brains to transition from work mode to a more relaxed evening mode.
#2 Get in your daily workout
A workout - whether you prefer to exercise in the morning before work or to help you wind down after work - can help us to destress. Exercise releases endorphins which make us feel good.
You could try a simple HIIT workout to get your body moving and shake off work tension. Mix up squats, press-ups and lunges, remembering to have thirty seconds of rest in between each round. Doing a HIIT workout for thirty minutes will be more than enough to get your heart pumping, your lungs working and those endorphins flowing after a day sat at a desk.
A workout that benefits your wellbeing doesn’t always have to be sweat-inducing cardio. Take a pilates class or try some yoga to enjoy the physical and mental benefits of exercise after work.
#3 Enjoy your surroundings
Getting outdoors can be a huge stress reliever.
Get out and take your daily steps in a local park or somewhere with some nice trees or scenery to enjoy. Being surrounded by trees and nature has been linked to improving your mood, and reducing feelings of stress and anger.
If the weather is sunny as well this can also give you a Vitamin D boost. Just ten minutes outside in the sun can be enough to get our daily dose of Vitamin D which helps to keep our bones, teeth and muscles functioning properly.
Even a pavement walk in the winter gloom can have huge benefits for your health and mood. As well as helping you to unwind after a long working day, the physical benefits of exercise are huge, from reducing blood pressure, to maintaining a healthy heart and lungs, and helping to keep your bones and joints strong.
#4 Read a book
Whether you prefer to read straight after work to help distract a busy mind or like to read before bed to help improve your sleep, picking up a book is always a great stress reliever.
If you find that your pre-sleep read tends to be reduced to a page or too before you become too tired to keep your eyes awake, try reading earlier in the day. Set aside time at the end of your work day to enjoy some reading.
Research recently found that reading a book for as little as six minutes each day can decrease your stress levels and reduce your heart rate and blood pressure. Reading a book can also help to keep our brain active and working into old age, aid with sleep and has been linked to an increase in creative thinking as well.
#5 Cook something nice
The habit of getting in from work late and throwing together a quick unappetising meal before bedtime is not great for wellbeing.
Remote working has opened up time which can be spent cooking something nutritious and delicious, instead of commuting.
Utilise some of those dusty recipe books or seek out cooking inspiration on social media.
Not only will your body thank you for a series of healthy home cooked meals, the time spent slowly preparing meals you look forward to eating can also help your mental wellbeing.
Whatever way you decide to spend your time at the end of your work day, taking a moment to do something positive for your wellbeing can be really powerful. Carving out time for yourself doesn’t have to require a huge overhaul of your life. Decide to spend those precious few minutes at the end of your work day before your evening begins doing something that you enjoy and you’re there.
