What to do after work? Break -out your daily WFH routine
Finished work and don’t know what to do with your free time? We’ve all been there. When working from home, the most relaxing thing you can think of, is to switch your home office chair with the couch and start browsing Instagram or whatever social channel got you addicted, or Netflix binging, and not leaving any actual time to enjoy your downtime in a healthy manner. You’re always glued to a screen. Is getting harder and harder to detach from work, and especially when working remotely. So what can you do after work to disconnect in a productive and healthy manner? Here’s what I do to unplug from work and combat daily stress that maybe can inspire you to break out your daily work-from-home routine.
7 Things to do after work beside staying glued to a screen
1. Do low-impact stretches and exercises
Looking for what to do after work to relax? After a hard day at work, you may not have enough energy to go for a run or a spin class. However, you can do low-impact, short-duration exercises at home.
You can search online for cardio workouts without jumping, some stretching to do while lying or sitting, or just some yoga class for beginners. All these exercises will be very useful to relax the muscles and relieve tension. Shared a great dancing video here.
2. Do enjoyable activities
When we do something that we are passionate about, we feel happier and our body relaxes. By doing a pleasant activity such as reading, walking, painting or singing, it will be easier for us to disconnect from work and enjoy the present, something essential to reduce daily stress.
If you are passionate about traveling, you can also entertain your mind by organizing your next getaway, or simply discover the best destinations for your next vacation. There is nothing better than the illusion of preparing the next trip with your loved ones.
Read a book; fantastic way to escape the current reality and get lost in a fantasy story. Instead of watching Game of Throne series, you can always read the books. My advice: do both. They are totally worth it.
3. Yes to alone time
Life is full of obligations that can often cause us physical and mental exhaustion. That is why it is important to take time for ourselves. What to do after work during quarantine? “Me time” is as important as sleep or work. Just a couple of hours a day to do simple things like put on comfortable clothes or enjoy a home spa session are a good way to reset ourselves, relieve stress and maintain a good balance between our work and personal life. Paint your nails, put on a face mask, take an extra long shower. You work hard, why don’t you pamper yourself for a bit?
4. Connect with nature
Being in nature reduces anger, fear, stress, and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes us feel better emotionally, it also improves our concentration. A simple walk in a natural environment after work will allow you to disconnect and reinforce positive thoughts by oxigenating your brain.
If walking or watching nature is not your thing, you can always plan to watch movies in a garden with your friends after work at night. Set up a blanket, find a great projector, find some popcorn and enjoy watching movies surrounded by nature!
5. Cook something delicious
What to do after work in the winter? Teach yourself to cook. There is something relaxing in the art of cooking, it is almost like therapy: cutting the ingredients with patience, seasoning them, preparing them, cooking them and then enjoying them is a more than enough way to relax. Don’t feel that it is an obligation. Do it for fun, for the fun of preparing your favorite foods or learning to do something different. It is a good time for you to learn how to make bread, it is an incredible distraction and a healthy hobby to start on. Try it. Here’s my raw vegan cake (yes a newbie on the palting or decor, but quite proud of myself )
6. Unplug yourself
This is vital, if we really want to achieve post-work rest, it is necessary to disconnect completely. We are talking about not checking emails or clients’ WhatsApp after the corresponding time. If we don’t get enough rest, we won’t be able to perform well the next day and the only thing we will achieve is to accumulate fatigue, which over time will take a toll on you. What can you do to disconnect? First of all, turn off the computer, turn off social networks as well (at least the informative ones, like Twitter).
7. Meditate and take a breath
Unfortunately, not every day can be good. There are horrendous days where we just want to bury our heads in the ground and scream. What can we do to forget about those days? It seems basic, but many times we forget that one of the simplest and most effective things we can do is: take a breath and meditate. Big gulps of air, as we try to clear our minds of all our problems. In this way we can alleviate day-to-day anxiety and distract ourselves away from work.
With these things to do after working at home you can differentiate your moments at work and your moments outside of it, so you can rest and perform better in all areas of your life. Remember that balance is important, we want each other healthy and happy!
