With the amount of stress and pressure that’s felt in the workplace, you don’t have to run your own business to find that you’re constantly thinking about work and are unable to switch your mind off. Worrying about deadlines or upcoming meetings are common factors, but there’s also the additional stress that can be heaped on the shoulders of those who overthink present scenarios, ones looming in the future, and even those that have already passed.
As you can imagine, there are serious health issues that can arise from this amount of stress, and they may not just emerge as physical illnesses but can also affect your mental health, too.
This is why it’s so important to be able to switch your mind off and remove yourself from your work at the end of each and every working day. For some, this could be easier said than done, so here are a few methods that could help you to find your mind’s own personal “Off” switch.
#1 Follow in other’s footsteps and immerse your mind
It isn’t easy coming up with ideas that will totally immerse your mind and take your thoughts far away from your working day. However, it’s perfectly alright to seek help from others by seeing how they manage to make this break in their own lives.
For instance, the highly successful CEO of 1-800Accountant, Mike Savage in New Canaan, CT, has found that he, like many others, has a love for all things Lego. Not only does he actively collect sets, but he also immerses himself in building his collections.
This means that he has several strings to his bow, and each can be shaped by the amount of time he has on his hands. The creativity of building certainly takes time and can be very rewarding when it all comes together. However, there’s also the seeking, finding, and obtaining of collectible sets, which can also be just as rewarding and distracting for the mind.
Lego isn’t the only thing that people, both young and old, like to collect, but it’s a good idea that when you’re starting a collection of your own you ensure that you have pay due consideration to a few very important factors:
- Room to store your collection—large items will take up a lot more space than smaller items.
- There’s good availability—choosing something that’s so rare it can’t be found will only end in frustration.
- That you can afford to collect—collecting things is fun, however, they should never induce financial stress into your life.
#2 Change the flow of your thoughts with conversation
Of course, not everyone has the nimbleness or the patience to sit and build structures from Lego or have the space to form large collections in their home. For those who prefer a more social release, there’s always the art of conversation. Phoning relatives to see how they’re getting on or just making arrangements for social events with friends will not only give you something to look forward to but also give your mind a new focus away from work.
You’ll very quickly find that speaking and listening to others who are far removed from your daily 9–5 will provide you with new topics to think about. Humans are social creatures, so it stands to reason that social interaction is highly beneficial for mental health and well-being, and you’ll certainly feel this when you’re with your friends.
If you find that you and your friends need new topics of conversation, then organizing nights or days out to different destinations or even themed events could bring new experiences and, therefore, encourage different conversational avenues.
#3 Get your body moving and release positive energy
There will no doubt be times when you’re still going to be very much on your own, so you’ll need to have a plan so you can keep your mind active but not about work. Getting your body moving and releasing positive energy will not only help your mental health but also improve your physical health, too. Although there’s nothing wrong with doing a full-blown workout at the gym, if that’s what you want to do, it’s important to remember that this isn’t the only way to get your body moving.
You may find, for instance, that practicing yoga is just as beneficial as this gentle form of exercise concentrates the mind on breathing as well as the poses and stretches that you’ll be performing. It’s well known that performing yoga is a good way to combat stress and release tension.
However, any form of exercise, even a walk in the park or around the block, will release positive endorphins in your brain and make you feel better and happier for the activity. You may also find distractions as you’re wandering around, such as shop windows, neighbors’ gardens, or even local wildlife, which will give your mind other things to focus on.
#4 Set personal targets with rewarding goals
In order to move your mind away from work, you may need to move toward something else just as encompassing, and this could very well be creating goals in your personal life. Drawing up your own set of personal targets is no easy feat. However, it can help refocus the mind on what it’s most important to you.
Whether it’s losing weight, doing a major declutter of your home, managing a tight budget, or a list of things that you really want to experience before the year is out, setting personal targets can help you to focus and get things done. Of course, there are certain rules that can make achieving your targets easier and a lot more fun, for instance:
- Ensure that your targets are within reach—small, regular triumphs are often much better than infrequent big triumphs.
- Reward your accomplishments—even when they’re small achievements.
- Don’t beat yourself up if you miss your target; just revisit your goal and revise the timescale.
#5 Remember to use technology to find distraction
Of course, you can also make use of the technology you have to hand. Using your phone or your laptop to search for the collectibles you’ve settled on or to contact your friends or family members in multiple different ways aren’t the only reasons why you keep your technology close. Many people use their phones as a form of escapism and spend hours scrolling social media or the internet in an effort to seek enlightenment or social interaction with friends from a distant past.
However, even more people find solace in games that can be downloaded from the internet. These games are often highly immersive, so they’re ideal for those who wish to move their minds from overbearing topics or stressful situations of the day into a more virtual reality.
There are a multitude of different genres to choose from, and the gaming industry has done its utmost to make sure that there’s something to cater for everybody. For those who like strategies and tactics, there are hordes of survival, warcraft, or civilization and world domination games available. Those who like the idea of managing an island, farm, or village are also well catered for, as well as those who like a much gentler kind of gaming experience, such as matching or merging games.
Matching three-of-a-kind or merging items may seem tedious on the surface, but you’ll very quickly find that there’s more to these styles of games with a light-hearted storyline and additional tasks that progress the lead character’s journey.
Of course, in this ever-social world, you’ll find that there are methods offered to players whereby they can connect with other players in the game to chat or perform tasks. Some of these are in “helping hands”, whereas others are to play with or against other players; it all very much depends on the type of game you choose to play.
A few final thoughts
It’s not so much what you choose to use to help your mind switch off at the end of the working day but the need for it to happen. You may find, for instance, that you need to have a varied assortment of choices so you can do different things each day of the week or a combination of a few for each day.
Getting your body moving, even if it’s just for 30 minutes a day, can do wonders for your mind; a short walk around the block talking to your neighbors or even in the company of a friend will improve your mood and stimulate your thoughts.
If you’re a fair-weather walker, then finding out what your family and friends do or even how your favorite celebrities unwind can give you some ideas that you may be able to adopt for yourself.
Failing that, with so many games available and close to hand, delving into a new world and finding your own perfect digital distraction to see you through your downtime and give you a new interest is always within reach.