We all grow up thinking of making our work count. We study different subjects, participate in curricular, stretch ourselves above and beyond, all this to make a living. Our Work defines our whole lives. Human minds incur over 3000 thoughts in 50 minutes. If you’re a working person, it won’t be challenging to say that most thoughts are Work or work-related. You may remember a work left by you in a hurry, or maybe some ad-hoc task, or perhaps the colleague who keeps on challenging you. These thoughts may sound ordinary, but they hamper your private or personal time a lot. Situations like these make you drag your Work at home, which increases stress. Just like it is essential to work to make a living, it is necessary to live stress-free to enjoy the Work. When you are overburdened with Work, you lose pace in your active lifestyle.

Many times, our brain doesn’t work or comprehend the change in the physical world. We forget that when we leave our office physically, we should leave our offices mentally too. It is essential to get proper rest and calm to prepare for the next day. It isn’t easy, but it is the need of the hour.

In today’s time, where the pandemic has led to Work from home situations, it has become the dire need to prioritize and handle Work accordingly. It is important to respect one’s private space and time.

Let’s now dive deeper to understand how bringing work home causes stress and coping using science-backed hacks.

Anticipatory stress, attention residue, and why your Work follows you home

Before knowing how to cope with adversity, we need to understand the adversity and its reasons.

The evolution of humankind has heightened many human senses. Two of them are-

1. Hanging onto the threads containing important information leads our brain to latch on to the unfinished task. So unless we are done with all the Work set as the day’s goal, our mind will keep going back to that Work.
2. Always be on toes for any new threats to the surroundings or the environment – this includes any last-minute emails from your boss or maybe a danger you can sense on your job. It creates anxiety and makes you wander around your job even while being physically away.

These situations lead to a stressful mind. They make people sense threats even while they are excelling. Angry emails, ad-hoc tasks, competitive colleagues, and last-minute deadlines all lead the brain to high alert, making it impossible to rest.

Research has stated that “if people cannot disconnect from Work and recuperate, it leads to burnout, higher turnover, more deviant behavior, lower productivity, and other undesirable outcomes. This proves the need for rejuvenation and to put health above Work.

Ways to Leave Work at Work

Now that we have understood the work-related stress and the need to leave Work at the office let us discover ways to achieve that.

1. Removal of expectation to deal with work emails post-work hours

Researches have shown that an average person works post the work hours almost every day. People feel that they are obliged and expected to be ready all the time for Work. If their system rings while having dinner, they will put their family aside to answer that. They even put their time on hold to ensure they are available for an email that may or may not post their work hours. The tricky thing is that they believe it is expected from them. It creates exhaustion, anxiety, and stress, leading to a frustrated mind and low productivity. A few things that can help in such a situation are to prioritize your tasks. You can plan your day early and set deadlines that are not too stringent. You can also talk among your team to set expectations and daily goals. Keeping everyone aligned is an easy yet significant step. You can block time in your calendar for lunch, dinner, family. You can take a midday break of 15-20 minutes to refresh yourself and not feel too exhausted. You can also keep yourself away from office-communications post-work hours. Putting your phone on DND or switching off the gadgets can be a step towards a good sleep and a healthy body.

2. Planning and personalization of the day

Setting goals and deadlines should be a personal task. We all must understand our work pattern and efficiency. We should plan to Work to optimize ourselves mainly during the most productive hours of our day. Realistic deadlines help you achieve your goals and help you focus on the tasks one by one. They help you align your time with your day.

Make sure that you do not guess arbitrary deadlines. Better ponder for some time before committing something to your boss.

3. Using time efficiently

We all waste more than expected time during the day when we feel exhausted or overworked. The best way to reduce that stress is to plan appropriately. Make a habit of noting down the to-dos everyday. Keep on checking the tasks every few hours to keep yourselves on track. It would help if you also used your commute time to declutter your mind and prepare yourself for the break. Use this time to sort your mind off the office tasks.

It would help if you also kept some time aside to enjoy your hobbies. Be it reading a book in silence, listening to music or podcasts, watching a movie/show. Hobbies create the aura of rejuvenation. Engaging in this interest makes you productive, active, and happy. Never run out of reasons to step away from your hobbies.

Footnote

It has become tough to achieve a work-life balance in today’s time. But it is not impossible. Try and keep on trying until you figure out a routine that suits your calibre and skills.

Do let us know how you plan to leave work stress at the office.

If your current company’s job is not oriented to your long-term goals, consider taking immediate measures. Give yourself time and think about where you’d like to be in the next few years. Feel free to contact JobsPivot for more jobs in singapore and for more job opportunities.