How to Destress After a Hard Day at the Office

In the daily life of many entrepreneurs, there is the very real threat of becoming stressed – largely due to factors outside of our control.

From inefficient suppliers to computer/equipment outages, and after those days where tough decisions and phone calls need to be made, many of us head home with a pounding headache and the need to unwind. Unfortunately, the sheer nature of being an entrepreneur, and enjoying the success that that brings, means that we end up working well into the evening/night too, answering emails and setting up our diaries for the week ahead.

But this, simply, is a bad idea. Stress impacts upon our productivity and our ability to think logically and creatively, and if experienced long-term can have significant, detrimental effects on our physical and mental wellbeing.

Source: Pixabay

Working into the night will naturally lead to a lack of sleep too, and as reported by the NHS in the UK “regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions, including obesity, heart disease and diabetes – and it shortens your life expectancy.”

Simply put, many of us will be too unwell to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

So, we need to find ways to unwind after a hard day at the office. Those don’t include procrastinating over the wording of an important email or trying to figure out if it would be legally sound to fire Andy from accounts due to his daily lunch of egg and tuna sandwiches.

Here are a couple of ideas that might aid you in boxing off your work day.

Get a Hobby

So many entrepreneurs complain of a lack of time to pursue their interests, but for a healthy, balanced lifestyle you simply have to make time.

Think of life as one giant pie chart: a third should be reserved for sleep, a third for work and a third for hobbies and passions away from the office.

Joining a gym could actually boost your workplace performance. Exercise is proven to improve mood, tackle stress and anxiety, and it could also help enhance your productivity in the office with one study finding that after six weeks of exercise, 36 healthy participants showed reduced levels of fatigue in their daily lives.

Source: Pixabay

Finding your endorphin hit that doesn’t revolve around sales figures and Excel spreadsheets; Rediscover a love for sport, dust off that old mountain bike, treat yourself to art classes, learn a new language or enjoy casino games online. If you opt for the latter, take the time to read casino reviews, as here you will learn which sites are worthy of your time and which should be avoided. You’ll also find out about welcome bonuses and promotions, as well as loyalty schemes where you can unlock rewards and prizes.

Say No to Technology

There have been all sorts of research studies carried out into the impact of technology on our health…. and the results are not exactly encouraging.

The physical ailments of over-use of technology include bad posture – which can lead to spinal issues down the line and so-called “tech neck”, while studies have also shown that over-exposure to heavily-lit screens can lead to short-sightedness.

Professor Larry Rosen of California State University has even coined a phrase to categorize the psychological problems associated with technology and social media. His “iDisorder” is a term phrase coined given the increasing symptoms of “a psychiatric disorder such as OCD, narcissism, addiction or even ADHD, which are manifested through your use—or overuse—of technology.”

It would be fair to say that many of us spend too much time on social media, and the gratification in receiving likes or retweets feeds into our dopamine-led reward cycle.

Step away from the tech as much as you can outside the workplace… Your health will surely benefit.