Learn to Unplug

Most of us have a hard time switching off work, or at least the tension and thoughts of work, at the end of the workday. The mind seems determined not to let go of the day's events and worries. We just can't stop thinking about work.

Don't you think this kind of ongoing tension might be a side-effect of stress? Let's quickly understand when this stress response gets triggered. The stress response is triggered when the demands overload our ability to cope with them, switching on a part of the ancient brain that believes there is a threat to our life and limb. As a result, it constricts our brain to the perceived emergency of the moment, causing that loop of worry to spin round and round in one of the telltale byproducts of stress, rumination.

Ruminating, however, involves thinking again and again about something without coming up with solutions or having any new insight. "If we are coming home from work [with a lot] on our mind, and it takes us a half an hour to work it out, and then we solve problems and feel great, maybe that's one of our ways of processing. But if we are up-all-night stressing, then something needs to change."

Just as we need sleep to function the next day, we also need strategies to replace the mental and emotional resources burned up at the office. If they’re not replenished, we go down the track to chronic stress and exhaustion. 

One of the things that make it hard to unwind from the pressures of the day is that the stress response suppresses the play equipment in our brains. It's hard to think about having fun when a part of our brain thinks, our life is on the line.

Rumination is one of the leading drivers of stress, pessimism, and depression. It’s the constant replay of a stressful event or rather the story we tell ourselves about that event, that entrenches a false belief and makes us think the danger is real. Rumination thrives on self-talk that stress sets off a distorted false belief, that by repeated obsessing about it appears real. The counter to that is physical activity and relaxation experiences that shut off the broken record and the demands of the workday. 

Enough of discussing the causes right? Now you want to know if this can be really taken care of? Or wondering if there is a solution to this?

Researchers put it is as, “High workload, emotional dissonance, and low spatial work-home boundaries are related to poor psychological detachment from work during non-work time.”

We need to identify the false beliefs that come from stress triggers. And hence, reframing of the thoughts, reactions, countering the activation of the stress response is much needed. And this can be achieved by core recovery and refueling.

Bye-bye work-related thoughts and hi to the other buddy thoughts :)

1. As we know, the hormones in our body rise and fall throughout the day. For example, a surge of cortisol in the morning wakes us up, while another hormone, melatonin, helps us to get ready for bed in the evening. And then there are the hormones that tell when we are hungry, full, happy, and sad. Actually, they are the body’s chemical messengers, and some of them are known for their ability to help people bond, feel joy, and experience pleasure. Can the names be revealed? Here you go :) Serotonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin, and Endorphins play very happy havoc to promote positive feelings. So, it's good to be watchful and allow these happy guests inside us.

2. Pay attention to our thoughts. Thoughts can become so clear and certain that they seem like fact -- even when they are about things that haven't happened yet. When we realize what we are thinking, and how now present-minded it is, we can often direct our attention back to the now. The trick is to pay attention to my thoughts, to realize that they're just that: thoughts. They aren't necessarily facts and the more we are aware of them, the more likely we can stay away from thoughts of the past or future and stay focused on the present. 

3. Feed the five senses - When we find the mind wandering shamelessly into future or past territory (and say we are aware that it's happening!), we can use our five senses to bring us back to the present. Instead of allowing it to be governed by our thoughts, we can take control of our thinking and ask ourselves: What do you hear? Taste? Feel? See? Smell? Doing this takes us away from any kind of rumination and also reminds us that, what matters the most is what's happening right at this moment. 

4. Step outside yourself. One of the reasons we worry a lot most of the time is because of the "me" focus. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, too much focus on one's self can lead to a lot of overthinking, worrying, and stress. A great way to avoid this is to find others to focus on. for eg:- maybe volunteering would totally help is defocussing on self and help others. It might be a mere listen is what we might have to do considering any tough situation the person might be in. This helps our mind to focus away from the past or future and allows us to live in the moment.

5. Write it (all of it!) down. Sometimes one of the best ways to get out of our own head is to put all of the stuff that's in there down on paper. It might seem counter-intuitive to spend time writing about the past or future when one's trying to stay present, but this will be like cleaning out the closet of our mind, getting rid of all the thoughts that don't fit in there anymore. In addition to putting thoughts down on paper, writing about the present moment can be a great get-back-to-the-now exercise. 

A quick sneak-peak on the pointers for a quick glance is as below-

1. Do not look at the phone, do not look at emails. Decide on a time when to check.
2. Create a psychological boundary between work and home as a virtual way of working demands it.
3. Creating a work zone corner in our home sweet home.
4. When working from home, wear clothes for work. And not only this but also make sure lighting etc matters.
5. Without making the lifestyle sedentary, exercising regularly, walking/biking and any other activities interested in would surely help.
6. The problem-solving version of "I have so much work to do" is a scheduling question. Like, "Where is my schedule can I fit the tasks that are troubling me?" Or, "What can I move in my schedule to make room for this more urgent thing?" Or even, "When do I have 15 minutes to go over my schedule?" All those are problems that can be solved. "I have so much work to do" is not.

So, why not reduce our stress and improve our quality of life, we don't need to necessarily change our hours or our job. We just have to change the way we think.

Happy working! Stay Safe!

Stay Powerful, Successful & Positive :)