According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the type of exercise you do determines how long your recovery period should be. For best results, do active or dynamic stretches before exercise (such as high knees, arm circles, walking lunges) and static stretches (holding a stretch for seconds) after exercise. Experts say that to maximize muscle growth, you should eat 20 to 40 grams of protein after exercise. Ideally, you should try to eat within 60 minutes of the end of your workout and make sure you include some high-quality protein and carbohydrates. A shutdown ritual is especially important when you work from home and can’t create any real physical from your office. Open loops feel important so you hold onto them tightly in your head at all times.
How to Calm Down After a Long Day
We are constantly reminded of how little time we have to achieve things. This inevitably fuels frustration as we put ourselves under pressure to meet deadlines. Try to limit the number of clocks in your home and work area. Everyone experiences stress, but for some, stress and anxiety are part of a medical condition that requires treatment.
- Play can be just about any activity that is both pleasurable and done without purpose — in other words, just for the fun of it.
- Feeling tense and worn out after a tiring day at the workplace is common for everyone.
- Exercise is a powerful tool for relaxation, possibly because it triggers the release of feel-good neurotransmitters like endorphins while reducing stress hormones like cortisol.
- Sharot talked to Life Kit about how to disrupt your routine, get out of your rut and revitalize your life.
Step #7: Write a to-do list
Meditation and using techniques such as mindfulness are great ways to unwind and refocus your thoughts. If you’re not really into sweets or other junk food, you can also order from your favorite takeout food joint to treat yourself. Or if you’re feeling really lazy, get it delivered right to your door without having to step food outside of your home. Do your best to use commute time as a “transition time,” during which you reset and refocus. Think of it as having some “me-time” to prepare for what you are going to walk into when you get home.
How to relax and recharge after a stressful workday: The 3 types of rest you need to (actually) recover
After all, that anxiety can keep us alive as we are always aware of potential dangers that may threaten us,” Schirripa said. The key is to find something https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/why-alcohol-makes-you-feel-hot-and-sweat-after-drinking/ you enjoy without any end goal in mind. We tend to think of playtime as being solely for children, but it can be just as valuable for adults.
It will get your mind off any work-related tension and recharge you for the next day. Sometimes we have so many responsibilities in everyday life that we don’t let our minds take a break. We all have those days where we feel stressed and need to find a way to relax after work. Listening to music is also a known strategy for stress relief, and a simple one to do while sitting in an enclosed space. Mentally counting everything you have to be grateful for can not only make the time pass but can get you into a more positive frame of mind.
This week, try to notice how much time you spend complaining about work and see if this is the right amount of time for you. Then when you step into the aircon, the rapid drop in temperature will stimulate a reversal of that process – with blood rushing from your extremities to your vital organs. We’ve also got a guide to the best meditation apps (complete with star ratings and pricing deets) that you can take a look at to create a consistent breath work practice.
Physical symptoms of work-related stress
People were still happy on days 5, 6, 7, 8 — but not as happy as they were on Day 2. While taking your post-exercise shower, alternate 2 minutes of hot water with 30 seconds of cold water. Repeat four times with a minute of moderate temperatures between each hot-cold spray. If you happen to have a spa with hot and cold tubs available, you can take a plunge in each for the same time. Resting after a hard workout allows the repair and recovery process to happen at a natural pace. It’s not the only thing you can or should do to promote recovery, but sometimes doing nothing is the easiest thing to do.
Create a Soothing Home Environment for Yourself
If you can’t unwind due to anxious thought spirals and existential dread, try these tips for reframing anxious thoughts or these grounding exercises. Then keep these skills in mind as possible ways to tackle the next few tips too. Adding a mental practice to your workout routine can be a huge benefit for any athlete. Spending time practicing mental rehearsal or following a mindfulness meditation program can help process a calm, clear attitude and reduce anxiety and reactivity.
Getting familiar with how your mind works, how thoughts can bounce around, and how you don’t need to attach to any of them, is a wonderful way for an athlete to recover both mentally and physically. If you are doing high-intensity exercise, work out longer than an hour, or are working out in hot weather, you may want to consider an electrolyte drink to help how to destress after work you rehydrate. Electrolyte drinks contain water, electrolytes in the form of sodium and potassium, as well as sugar. A muscle needs anywhere from 24 to 48 hours to repair and rebuild, and working it again too soon simply leads to tissue breakdown instead of building. Recovery after exercise is essential to muscle and tissue repair and strength building.
- When listening to music, you’ll unwind and find your daily chores less demanding.
- Lie down, close your eyes and listen to a calming podcast to relax yourself.
- Overall, while taking a warm shower may not be a cure-all for stress and anxiety, it can be a helpful tool for promoting relaxation and improving your overall well-being.
- The problem is that this can magnify stress levels so that they are even higher after the commute home than they were at the end of the workday.