Switching off at the end of the working day

For Mental Health Awareness Week, Trish Delves, Health and Well being Facilitator, has shared some tips on how to leave stress at the door of your workplace and how to switch off.

At the end of a gruelling day or long shift filled with demands, responsibilities, a To Do list that never seems to end, supporting patients and fellow colleagues it can be really challenging to just switch it all off. Research has found that many working people report really struggling to switch off after work and often find themselves still ruminating on how things could have gone better, how something was missed off the to do list and worst of all the fact that they must go back the next day. All of this can cause distraction, exhaustion and essentially takes us away from what’s important – family, friends, ourselves! So, how do we “switch-off”? Honestly? It isn’t easy as we all too often find ourselves going through our days on autopilot but with a few mindful tasks at the end of the day it’s not that difficult to change thought patterns and make them stick!

Here's a few tricks on how to be successful at leaving stress at the door of your workplace and mentally changing into your out of work self!

• Send the last email of the day to yourself! Anything that must be done the next day goes into that email and out of your head!
• Take a moment to think about your day
• Think about one thing that was difficult about the day, acknowledge it then let it go
• Think of three things that went well
• Check in with colleagues – are they ok?
• Check in with yourself – are you ok?
• Home life may well be equally as busy and sometimes feel like a second job but try and change the pace on the journey home – take your time whether driving or sitting on public transport
• Listen to a playlist of your favourite tunes or listen to an uplifting podcast - avoid the news this can often make you feel worse.

Unfortunately, it’s not just ourselves who might be taking pressures or work into our home life. For many living with a partner who is stressed because of work can all too often increase relationship stress impacting on health and wellbeing. The support charity Relate offers some helpful advice on how to support a partner who is in this difficult position.

Here’s a short lesson I’ve recently come across about how you might be able to leave the working day at the front door.

The Trouble Tree

“The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pickup truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stoney silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. After opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was covered in smiles, and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss. Afterward, he walked me to my car. We passed the tree, and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier. "Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So, I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning, I pick them up again." "Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."  - Author Unknown

We should all be able to have our own symbolic “Troubles Tree” where we can leave the work behind until the next day! If you have any ideas on how you manage your pressures and responsibilities, please feel free to share them with the Wellbeing Team by emailing: wellbeinghub@merseycare.nhs.uk.

Below is a handy print out that you might want to use to plan how you manage stresses and prioritise your wellbeing and don’t forget there a several sessions that you can access via the Health and Wellbeing support offer.

Helpful Work Life Balance Resources

• Wellbeing action plan in PDF or as a word document
• Mental Health Foundation – Tips