7 Ways to Unwind Effectively after Work

The working day can be long and incredibly draining both mentally and physically. Whether you are sitting at a desk all day, or doing heavy physical activity on a building site. When you arrive home in the evening you need to unwind to switch off and really enjoy your spare time.

A lot of you reading this are already thinking you don’t have time to do anything else in the evening. But I’m writing this to tell you that you do, and making time to unwind gives you better quality time.

The advice in this article will help you become more productive, mindful, unwind, de-stress, and make the most of your ‘home-time’ after a long day at work.

Meditate

This is one of the habits that has really improved my life in many areas over the years. With just 15 minutes of meditation you can completely change your mood, feelings, and reset.

Focusing on breathing and clearing your thoughts will help all the stress and emotion of the day drift away. Meditating calms your mind and body, and allows you to tackle your evening with a clear precision and make the most of your time.

Exercise

This is particularly important if you sit down all day for your job. Sitting for long periods does a lot of damage in the long run, and exercise is one of the ways to try and combat this.

You don’t need to sign up to a gym and spend an hour a day heavy lifting. Just 30 minutes of exercise that makes you breathe hard is a great place to start.

Alternatively yoga and stretching is an excellent alternative. You can combine this with a meditation session too if you’re able to put a good 30-40 minutes a side.

Disconnect from Technology

When was the last time you turned off your phone for 30 minutes? I can hear the silence from here. It’s hard to find a work/home-life balance if you go straight from the office to home and then check your emails.

This is one habit you have to combine with your mediation anyway. So switch off your phone and pull your self away from the computer long enough to meditate, and an extra 30 minutes for good measure.

Drink Tea

Being English I’m no stranger to a cup of tea. I have a selection of herbal tea’s I drink in the evening to detox and unwind. I drink a green tea when I get home for work and spend some time in the garden if it’s a nice day.

Tea is good for hydration and detoxing and cleansing some of the toxins that are stored in your body. Different herbs have different effects, like peppermint helps with digestion, chamomile is mood calming, and so on.

Enjoy Nature or Wildlife

If you live near a park or wooded area you should be making the most of what nature has to offer. Not everyone lives near green areas and have the choice, so if you do you should be appreciating it.

If you have a dog take it for a walk. If you have a cat or another domestic animal spend some time fussing them, it’s very therapeutic and known to help people de-stress.

Catch Up With Loved Ones

It’s all too easy to get caught up in our busy lives and not have time to check in on loved ones and see how they are doing. But in reality we all have time to drop someone a quick note, and it makes a huge difference.

Drop in on someone during your drive home from work once a week. Invite a friend out for a drink, or just pick up the phone and actually call someone. You will feel better for it, as will they as well.

Pamper Yourself

What do you like to do to pamper yourself when relaxing? Maybe it’s a warm bath, a lay down, or some alone time listening to relaxing music. Whatever it is, make the time for it and unwind.

Like with a few of these suggestions, you can find a way to overlap this with another suggestion like meditation or drinking tea. But the important thing is that you are carving out a routine where you make time for yourself.