How do you decompress after a long day of work?
I'm sure others have encountered the difficulty of immediately going to bed after a long day of work, especially if it's a frequent occurrence. On one hand, it can be mentally exhausting to eat, sleep, work for any extended period of time. For some it may feel like all they do is work. But there's another familiar challenge -- how to actually getting the mind to turn off so you can go to sleep!
My girlfriend and I have a few things we do, but I'm curious what strategies work for you all! Mine are below:
- Do small activities together that don't require screens (e.g., walks, backgammon, cribbage, have tea). This helps us to feel like we have even a little time together during our busiest days while helping us start to shut down
- Meditate. Even a few focused inhales and exhales sitting up helps to calm the mind before attempting to sleep
- Getting ready for the next day. There are all sorts of mindless tasks like laying out clothes or getting tomorrow morning's trash pickup ready that can help to settle my mind before bed. Even better, they save me time in the AM allowing me to sleep longer.
What do you do after a long day of work?
Reading is often a go to strategy for me as it can make my eyes tired and takes my mind off work. However it is tricky to pick the right thing to read - sometimes it is too interesting so I stay awake longer trying to read more!
After a long day of work, I would like to come home clean or cook (to make myself more tired, which always work) then I would relax a little and watch a little tv and then sooner or later I would start to get extremely sleepy.
Being away from screens is a great way to decompress. I like to read and meditate on the Word. Sometimes making sure the house is clean helps as well for the next day.
Those are great ways to decompress.
I like to do a yoga video (love Yoga With Adriene on YouTube), have a jigsaw puzzle out that I can mindlessly work on, journal, or play with my cat!
I find exercise is a great way to decompress and find myself more productive as well.
Weekly routines are helpful for us. Friday night has become homemade pizza night, a nice opportunity to spend some time at home and relax - https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/01/foolproof-pan-pizza-recipe.html
I might watch a relaxing show or play a video game when I get home for work.