Worrying about work all the time! 9 ways to stop it

“Life” is not equal to “work.” You cannot constantly think about how to close burning deadlines; it is more profitable to present a new project or finish at home something that you did not have time for in the office. This will certainly lead to overstrain and affect your physical and mental health.

If you are an avid workaholic, getting rid of thoughts of work is not as easy as it seems at first glance. You never stop checking email, analyzing your decisions, pondering tasks planned for the next day. You do this while in the shower, going to the store, watching a movie, etc. The body can leave the office at exactly 6 pm, but your brain, unfortunately, does not have such an opportunity. It works 24/7, which is why it is so important for you to learn how to control your thoughts.

Constant stress, loss of productivity, burnout, depression, anxiety disorder are just a few of the unpleasant consequences you can face. We have collected several ways to help you get rid of thoughts about work, making a huge contribution to maintaining your psychological and physical comfort and allowing yourself a full and high-quality rest.

Stop complaining about your work

The more often you complain to others about your work, the higher the daily stress level you experience. Think about how your day is going: what you discuss with your colleagues, what you tell your friends and family. These are likely stories of injustice, crazy clients, a toxic boss, and other negative things that you have in your work.

Complaining does not help; it only aggravates the situation. They make you immerse yourself in unpleasant work-related moments, even when you are in comfort. So learn to restrain your discontent: leave it in the office and at home or with friends, try not to remember what annoys you so much in your specialty or colleagues.

Finish your office work

If you work until 6 pm – exactly at this time all your affairs should be completed, and you should stand at the exit from the office, collecting your things in a bag. And let’s go without “I’ll finish it at home” – work should remain at work, unless, of course, you are at a distance.

You get paid for a certain number of hours that you spend in the office, so try to make the most of them, and after that, do something pleasant and relaxing. If you occasionally sin by taking unfinished projects with you to deal with them at home, do not be surprised at the imminent appearance of apathy and the first signs of professional burnout.

Avoid burning deadlines

The best thing you can do for yourself and your psychological comfort stops postponing work tasks. This leads to burning deadlines, heightens stress levels, and makes you not care about your work schedule.

If you have difficulty planning your time, schedule everything you need to do with clearly defined dates. And remember: the sooner you finish an important and urgent project, the less you will think about work in your free time.

Prioritize correctly

We are talking about priorities in the execution of work tasks. If you spend the first half of the day on simple tasks like answering emails, sending mailings, and checking documents, you are unlikely to have time to do everything you have planned for the day.

Always start with the hardest to avoid risking your psychological comfort and free time in the evening. As soon as you complete all the global tasks, you will feel relief, and you will be able to end the day by solving problems that do not require much mental effort from you.

Don’t make too many promises

If you are not sure that you can fulfill what the person asks you to do, if you understand that you already have a lot of tasks, do not make a promise if you do not want to do something. It’s simple: the more often you agree to something, the higher your stress level and the lower your productivity.

You must understand that your resources – time, effort, knowledge – are not endless. They are exhausted during the day, and in the evening, when you need to rest amicably and gain energy for tomorrow, you continue to load yourself with work.

Do not strive to always be in touch

During non-working hours, try to fall out of the access zone: no replies to customer emails calls from colleagues, and messages from the boss. You have worked your prescribed hours, and now you need a rest. If someone needs you, in 99% of cases, the solution to the problem can wait until tomorrow morning when you come to work with renewed vigor.

Moreover, forget about your smartphone on weekends and during holidays. A radical but working solution – turn off notifications or turn on Do Not Disturb mode not to be distracted by work when trying to relax.

Find an activity that will distract you from your thoughts

Trivial, but the most effective advice is to find yourself a hobby. Yes, such that you can forget for a while about the existence of other things and the pressing problems in your life. You can be distracted by drawing, learn to play the guitar, get together with friends in the evenings in a cafe with tabletop tables, sign up for a sports section.

Let it be an activity that requires mental effort from you but at the same time has nothing to do with your work. Of the obvious advantages and switching your attention, there is an emphasis on personal development.

Plan your free time

When you go home after work and have no plans, your head is likely to be filled with thoughts about what you have been doing all day and will be doing tomorrow.

In order to distract yourself, try planning your free time. Write down in your diary everything that you have to do in time for today: wash the dishes, meet a friend, go to the store, etc. So, you will be focused on your personal affairs, and you will be less distracted by thoughts about work.

Get enough sleep

During the day, thoughts accumulated by you can often interfere with the brain to get rid of worries and relax. This means that you will have difficulty falling asleep. Provide yourself with a comfortable environment: do not use gadgets before bed, buy blackout curtains, take a relaxing bath after work. Do not forget to stick to the regime: go to bed simultaneously, and make sure that your sleep lasts at least 8 hours.