You might find it difficult to unwind and de-stress after a long day of running your business, and that’s a problem that many business owners face. If you have trouble calming your mind after a long day of work, you have come to the right place because we’re here to provide you our post-work relaxation guide for business owners.
This article discusses a variety of techniques to help you relax after work. These are methods that have worked for thousands of business owners, according to scientific research.
Strategies to Dial Down and Relax
1. Turn that Phone Off
One of the best things in our post-work relaxation guide for business owners, that you can do, is turn your phone off. If you are constantly looking at your website, checking on your social media, getting emails and texts from work, you will never be able to relax and disconnect from work. Being able to disconnect from work, even if just for a few hours, is a great way to relax. Running an online business is stressful and sometimes needs to take a backseat to your mental health.
2. Cook a Tasty Meal
Cooking, as well as eating, allows for a greater mental relaxation. First, cooking enables us to be in control. We chose what to cook, we measured the ingredients, and so on. The feeling of control is something that many of us benefit from when it comes to stress and anxiety relief.
Many of us have to deal with not being in control of everything at work, which causes stress and anxiety. Consequently, you don’t need a lack of control at home too. In some people, cooking can release endorphins in the brain, substances that relieve stress and anxiety.
On that same note, our brains produce feel-good hormones when we eat food that we enjoy. There is a reason why many people say that chocolate is just as good as sex, and as far as science goes, it is proven that both have the same effect on the brain.
3. Read a Book
Reading a really suspenseful or enjoyable book can relieve stress and anxiety. If nothing else, reading an interesting story will distract you from your own life. Simply put, you won’t be thinking about your stressful day at work if you are reading page after page, trying to see who Bram Stoker’s Dracula will bite next. Sometimes all you need is a distraction to wind down from a long day.
4. Put on Some Music
Listening to your favorite music can be a great distraction to the rigors of everyday life. It may even be more than just a distraction. Music is a profound, emotional, and spiritual thing for many people, something they connect with. According to the University of Nevada, A slower tempo music can quiet your mind and relax your muscles, making you feel soothed while releasing the stress of the day
Great music can cause our brains to release excess endorphins that boost our mood and relieve stress.
Even better than listening to music is picking up an instrument and playing music yourself. Learning a new skill, such as playing piano or guitar, could serve as a great distraction from life, not to mention that if you get good at it, you will feel more accomplished and motivated.
5. Write in a Journal
Many business owners have noted that writing in a journal can be beneficial in terms of stress relief. By writing down thoughts, ideas and stresses helps the brain to release its grip on these thoughts as it knows they're stored for later and can't be forgotten.
So, if you don’t have people to vent to, the next best option is to write in a journal. A journal is a private place where you can pour out your heart without consequence, and sometimes this is all we need for a mental catharsis.
6. Meditate
Hands down, one of the best ways to relax after work is to meditate. Meditation clears your mind, stops those racing thoughts, and focuses inwards. Frankly, meditation has dozens of benefits for both the mind and the body. Having focus on the breath in a meditative state can work wonders to slow everything down and get clarity because you're focussing on the breath rather than the thoughts of the day.
Meditation is one of the all-time best stress and anxiety relievers. If you need help with meditation, refer to our recommendations section below.
7. Exercise
Yet another fantastic way to wind down after a long day of work is to exercise. It might seem odd that you would work out, sweat, and breathe heavily if you are trying to relax. However, exercise is a proven stress, anxiety, and depression reliever.
Just like eating good food and sex cause our brains to release feel-good endorphins, so does exercise. This is commonly known as a runner’s high, that feeling of energy and elation after exercise. A runner's high is not just a fancy marketing term used by companies to sell their newest running shoes. It’s a real thing.
8. Try a Weighted Blanket
Recent studies show that many people feel comfortable when sleeping or just lying under a weighted blanket. The added weight is thought to calm our minds by feeling protected and shielded from the outside world.
9. Artwork
Another proven method of relieving stress after a long day of work is art, which can take many forms, and yes, playing music is one of them. Art serves not only as a distraction from life but also as a great emotional release. For this reason, many professionals often combine art with meditation for maximum relaxation benefits.
10. A Long, Hot Bath
Perhaps all you need is a long and hot bath with some aromatherapy on the side to help you relax. The intense heat from a hot bath or a sauna can have the same effect on the brain as good food, sex, and exercise. Moreover, certain scents associated with aromatherapy can also help soothe your nerves.
FAQ
Is it Important to Relax After Work?
Studies have shown that it is crucial to relax after work because it will help you sleep. If you plan on getting up the next day with energy and motivation, sleep is vital and so relaxing to allow you to sleep is also vital.
What to Drink to Calm Your Nerves?
Various teas are known for reducing stress and anxiety, with peppermint, lavender, kava, chamomile, valerian, and lemon balm tea being the favorites. Keep an eye on caffeine levels in tea because this can affect your ability to fall asleep which is counterproductive to a good day the following day.
What is the 3-3-3 Technique?
This is a technique that can help relieve anxiety at the moment. First, name three things that you see, then name three sounds that you hear and then move three parts of your body. This is a great way to ground your mind and to move it quickly away from the moment of anxiousness.
Recommendations
When it comes to methods of relaxation, one of the best is through meditation. Of course, the beauty here is that there are many types of meditation for various purposes.
There are some really great meditation apps for you to check out if you don’t know how to meditate or would really like some guidance.
At this time, three of the most popular guided meditation apps include Headspace, Calm, and Insight Timer.
Conclusion
This post-work relaxation guide for business owners has outlined some of the best ways an online business can relax after work. Of course, everybody is different, so what works for someone else may not work for you. However, from the relaxation methods we discussed today, you should find a few that work for you. Give them a try and look to schedule time for the ones that work, each week, because its doing these consistently that will make the biggest impact in your life.
