How do you unwind after a demanding day?
People thrive on routines. From the moment we open our eyes in the morning until we go back to sleep, our routines are the same- a constant in a whirlpool of uncontrolled events and random to-do’s that come up throughout the day. In the morning, when you wake up, you start the day with an empty plate, armored with energy that was replenished overnight (if you had a good night’s sleep anyway).
You try to maintain the course aka routine. And this course is fragile, so easily influenced. This is where the day becomes unique and interesting – stressful even, and sometimes fun. – it only takes a phone call from a friend you had not heard from for a while, a sick child, lost keys, or a dropped cup!
That routine that you are accustomed to went right out the window and forced you a from your regular routine of getting ready to go to work, to answer the phone and work through whatever the person on the other line wanted to talk about, or that cup that just shattered all over the floor, it is now causing you to deep clean your floor while you really should be going to work, and you don’t want to wait with it because one of your household members may step in the shards. This is putting a crunch on your time that was to be taken up by routines, adding unexpected stress.
These stressors happen throughout the day and are caused by disruptions of your time, invasion of your routines, having to reprioritize tasks, and dealing with the consequences of the disruptions to your routine.
At the end of your day, you are beat, you still went to work but late, and because you started later, you took a shorter lunch, you did not have time to prepare for the unexpected meeting that was thrown on your calendar because your colleague is out, and so you ran after yourself all day long… no wonder you are exhausted! At least your floor is clean, and you will not be dealing with risk of chards in your or a family member’s feet!
People generally do not deal well with changes on a whim, and these stressors impact you both physically and mentally. This is why it is really important to take time for yourself even if it is 20 minutes, to unplug yourself from the world, to process your day, to let go of the stress, and to relax. Some do this by drinking a cup of tea on the porch or in a quiet nook, some take a shower, and change into comfy clothes, some even go for a bicycle ride, relax in the pool, or go for a walk to just release the stressors, and you will find that people who have very demanding jobs will in fact choose an activity to unwind to build that into their routine as they have the anticipation beforehand that stressors are going to come on their path.
Decompressing or unwinding is important as not doing so will result in long term mental and physical consequences. From physical issues varying from tight muscles to cardiac issues and weight gain, and psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, and burn-outs, your personal time to decompress not only at the end of your day but throughout your day, even if it is only 5 minutes at a time, will keep you healthy.
Plan before you start your day. Ask yourself, what is my day going to look like. Make a prioritized list of items that you have to do, want to do, and should do, if there is anything new or unusual, then you can plan it in, otherwise, just follow your routine. Know where your gaps of downtime are – lunch time, breaks, no meetings nothing on your calendar, and so if unexpected events come up see if there is a way to set expectation. Most people are okay with you saying that you are in the midst of something right now, but you are available at XYZ time if they are because that tell them that they will have your undivided attention. Making a habit of doing this will help you with your planning and it will help to keep stressors at bay .. remember that stressors are mostly caused by unplanned interruptions of your routine and by unpreparedness.
Throughout the day, take a few minutes at a time to review and update your list – reprioritize, and reflect on accomplishments of things that are completed. Reflection on accomplishments is unwinding too. It is those little things that you are relieved about, proud of, or just happy about that will destress you.
At the end of the day take the time to unwind, relax, and unplug for a bit. Quiet time really works nearly as well as sleeping to relax. Take maybe 15 minutes, and just sit and do absolutely nothing.
Personally, I take quiet time and walk through my garden, or I will stare at the lake. I will reflect on my accomplishments and will prepare myself for tomorrow. After cooking and eating dinner, I often watch TV, or read on my tablet. And then once I brush my teeth, I fall asleep. I have a very specific bedtime routine that I follow and it is funny, because my husband knows exactly what time it is when I am turning around to go to sleep, or when I am just falling asleep, and he will look at me one second, and no 30 seconds later I am out like a light. I believe it is the decompression and mindfulness routines that I follow that make it so that I fall asleep near instantaneous.
How do you decompress and deal with your stressors and disruptions to your routines?
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