Work Can Stay at Work: Science Backed Strategies to Help You Destress
Oftentimes it is hard to maintain the boundary between tour work life and home life, as sometimes, you bring “work” home unintentionally in the form of work stress, problems, and thoughts. HL offers some science backed solutions you can use to maintain a healthy boundary with your work.
Work-life balance means having enough time for both work and the other important parts of your life, like hobbies, family, and friends. If you don’t give yourself time to fully detach from work, it can feel like work is always on your mind, even during your free time, making it harder to relax and enjoy yourself. This is where psychological detachment comes in—it’s the ability to mentally “turn off” from work after hours. By stopping work-related thoughts, you allow your brain to rest and recover, helping you feel more relaxed and recharged when you’re away from work.
Therefore, it is important to find and maintain a good boundary between work and home life so that you can give yourself a break and allow yourself to enjoy being off the clock. There have been many scientific studies done and published about psychological detachment and ways you can engage in it, and we have compiled a list of 3 core strategies you can use to destress from work.
Strategy 1: Set boundaries between yourself and your work
The reason work keeps bleeding into your personal life could be due to you not having strong enough boundaries between work and your personal life. Setting specific times or places for work and personal life helps reduce the overlap between the two. For example, setting a clear end to the workday, avoiding checking emails after hours, or creating a separate space for work. Research conducted by Derks, Van Mierlo, & Schmitz in 2014 supports this as it was found that employees who used smartphones for work after hours had lower psychological detachment and experienced more stress. Therefore, if you work from home, make sure you only learn to do work in your office or one designated area so that your brain associates that location with work. Through this, you’ll be less likely to do work in other locations.
Setting boundaries around technology use was also shown to support detachment in this study and in another study by Prakash and Salovey in 2010. This means limiting or eliminating the use of electronic devices for work after hours, such as checking emails, work-related apps, or messages, is key to ensuring true detachment. Many phones offer a focus setting mode where notifications from work related apps or email are silenced when you engage in the focus mode. This may be a smart move if you have trouble with not checking your notifications constantly as they come.
Strategy 2: Turn off the TV and turn on some music
While it makes sense to “just relax” after work, there are better ways to relax than just sitting down and turning on the TV. In a metanalysis conducted by Sonnetag and Fritz in 2007, it was found that techniques like deep breathing, meditation, or mindfulness exercises can help lower physical and mental stress, aiding in detachment from work. Yoga can also fall into this category as it combines the techniques of mediation and deep breathing along with moving your body.
If relaxation isn’t your cup of tea, try some exercise. There have been multiple studies on the effects of exercise, casual or intensive, and how much it benefits psychological detachment. A study by Lavretsky and others in 2013 found that moderate exercise could reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression by interrupting negative thought patterns. Similarly, a study conducted by Wipfli and others in 2011 found that exercise leads to reductions in rumination, particularly in people who are experiencing high levels of stress. With this much variety in detachment techniques, you can choose exactly what works best for you, whether that is calming or engaging techniques.
Strategy 3: Start, or continue, your hobbies
In another study by Fritz and Sonnentag in 2005, it was found that pursuing personal interests or hobbies, such as sports, art, music, or cooking, helps employees shift focus from work to more enjoyable activities. This happens because hobby activities provide internal satisfaction and are an effective way to distract from work-related stress.
There is also one hobby you could pick up that could help with destressing: reflective journaling. Writing about your day or engaging in reflective practices can help you process and release work-related thoughts. A study by Pennebaker in 1997 supported this and found that expressive writing can reduce stress and promote emotional well-being by providing a space for individuals to process and release pent-up emotions. Therefore, we recommend you also pick up a journal the next time you’re getting some stationary for work.
Those are all the strategies we have for you, and we hope you find them helpful for your own work-life balance. Please feel free to let us know if they helped you or if you have any of your own strategies for maintaining and work-life balance. Thank you for your time and attention!
Aleksandra Ruminski