Work Stress Less

Many years ago I remember the weekends being just that .... weekends! They were not invaded with constant work phonecalls or emails? No-one deared to even mow the lawns on a Sunday (the day of rest). These days there is a blurred line between work and play. Unfortunately alot of us burn out as we think work, work, work and don't know how to turn off the OFF switch.

There may not be an OFF switch as such but there are plenty of ways to practice the art of Mindfulness and learn techniques to help switch off from work. Here are a few things I have put together that may help:

First - If you can't stay off your phone for long periods then just don't check your work emails at all over the weekend & avoid work calls. Life is all about balance, so if you drew a pie-graph it should be divided roughly into thirds. Work, Rest/Family & Sleep (doesn't have to be exact). If it shows half your time is being spent at Work, then you have some serious work ahead of you and may be headed for the divorce courts.

Your body is not designed to be busy all the time. It should fluctuate or spike between busy and rest. In order to get the best out of your working day you need to recharge your batteries .... hello even your phone has down time to recharge!! If a work thought comes into your mind let it float past like a cloud and don't let it stop in your head .... bye bye cloud thought. Just redirect your thoughts ....

Go for a walk in nature

Treat yourself to a massage

Do some yoga or pilates

Read a book or take a nap

Have a picnic with a good book

Go for a swim or go fishing with friends

.... there are sooo many things you can do that are calming to change your thought process

Lastly - why not have a relaxing bath at night with some lavender essential oil to relax you, before heading to bed for a good sleep. A good sleep can change your mood, your concentration and basically your life.

Maybe the new trend is not to see how busy you can be but how to be as unbusy as possible!!