collaborative post | Taking time off work rarely happens the way we plan it. You dream of closing your laptop and leaving your desk. You spend time making plans to enjoy the afternoon and you actually believe it. But then you get reminded again that work and your escapism habits have a way of following you into places when you least expect them. A real break involves more than planning. Sometimes, allowing yourself to take one is the hardest thing to do.
Leave One Small Decision for Your Future Self
There’s a chance you can’t relax because you’re too preoccupied with the future. Now, this might sound counterintuitive, but before finishing work, pick one task you’ll deal with when you return from your break. Now, you might think that you’ll spend your brain thinking about the task. But when you give yourself a boundary revolving around time, and if you write it down, you are more likely to respect it.
Be specific here, and you can even create a step-by-step guide on how to do it. Make sure it’s something that fits in your available time slot when you return from the break; otherwise, you’re just laying the ground for a potential disaster.
Make Your Phone Less Interesting
You don’t look at your phone because it’s healthy or helpful. You look at it because it’s interesting. It keeps you occupied and it gives you dopamine. It’s that simple. Take away that aspect, and you will ditch that phone in no time. If you’re a workaholic who checks emails and replies to messages after working hours, it’s time to set a boundary and mute some apps after your shift ends.
Another useful adjustment is to change the physical location of your work-related devices. Put your laptop in a cupboard. You don’t need it sitting on the kitchen table. Leave it in another room at least. Seeing something associated with your responsibilities can remind you of unfinished tasks even when you aren’t consciously thinking about them.
Utilise the Power of a Touch
Work often takes up more mental space than you want to admit. It’s everywhere around you, and you can’t escape it, even when you go to sleep. Sometimes, even our dreams revolve around work. This is too much stress for one person to handle. Even if nothing stressful happens at work, you are processing way too much information at once and continuously.
There are ways to balance that out by utilising the power of physical touch and sensory techniques. Some people need sound therapy to even that out. Others book a massage or find the best brothel in Melbourne to relieve stress and try something new. For some, a boxing session works wonders, while others want a weighted blanket and a cuddle. Do what suits you best, but don’t neglect the power of physical touch if you’re handling work-related stress.
Choose Activities That Don’t Resemble Another Assignment
It’s surprisingly easy to turn relaxation into another project. You decide to learn a language, and that’s a new responsibility. Exercising is another one. Even preparing several elaborate meals feels like a chore. While there’s nothing wrong with these hobbies, they all require you to achieve something great or be consistent to see results. If you’re preoccupied with work, it’s bad timing to try these out.
Pay attention to how something makes you feel. The context is everything. If you go to the gym and you’re okay with going twice a week, then keep going. But if you’re stressed about ruining a streak or having a rest day, then maybe it’s time to focus on activities that won’t trigger you like that.
Don’t Spend Sunday Preparing for Monday
Sunday evenings can become an unofficial extension of the working week. You’re “preparing” for what lies ahead. You’re checking emails and reviewing schedules. Eventually, you end up worrying about everything that might happen the following morning. Some preparation is useful, of course. You don’t need to spend several hours mentally rehearsing your responsibilities. That defeats the purpose of having a weekend. Set aside a short period to prepare your clothes, check your calendar and organise anything essential for the morning. Once you’ve finished, leave the remaining tasks alone.
You should also resist the temptation to use Sunday evening to compensate for everything you didn’t accomplish during the weekend. Your home doesn’t have to be immaculate. You don’t need to use this day to prepare all your meals for the week ahead. You can just rest; take this as your permission.
Conclusion
Allowing yourself to take a break might be the hardest way to fight hustle culture. But this is the only way to keep your sanity. You are not a machine. You’re a person, and you can’t be available at all times. Life outside of work has meaning, too, and it’s about time you relearn that.
