Best Ways to Decompress After Work

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As an adult, you need to find ways to decompress after work after a long day. Winding down is crucial for your mental health or else you’ll find yourself getting burned out or going insane.

This list talks about the different methods to relax at the end of the day. Anyone can do any of these and will lift your mood immediately.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

1) Rediscover Past Playlists

Whether it’s on Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube, find old playlists and rediscover songs you love.

I love scrolling down on Spotify playlists and playing a song that I forgot about. I’m that type where when I like a song, I listen to it so intensely for the next few days then get sick of it.

You repeat the process often enough and soon lose track of the songs you were once obsessed with. When you do find your way back to a song you love, it’s always fun listening to it again after months, or even years.

It will bring back the nostalgia feels. Songs are powerful because those few minutes can take you back to a past memory or feeling.

Depending on the song choice, it can lighten up your mood almost immediately.

2) Have a Dance Party

Listen to songs that make you want to dance.

Dancing is fun!

It could be following YouTube dance workouts like The Fitness Marshall. What’s wonderful about this channel is that their dance moves aren’t only at expert levels. They also have dances for beginners (like me) with throwback songs like Teenage Dream by Katy Perry but also newer songs.

You might feel the need to follow every step but you’re not at a dance competition. There’s no need to worry about dancing perfectly.

Maybe even do it with someone so you can laugh together as you’re trying to figure out the dance moves together.

Dance workouts aren’t everyone’s cup of tea so consider having a secret dance party in your home (or room if you live with your parents).

Move your body to the music in whatever way makes you feel comfortable. Dance like no one is watching.

Let’s be real here, who hasn’t done that before?

Dancing releases the tension and lifts your mood.

It’s a fun exercise anyone can do so bring out your inner diva!

3) Talk To A Friend

Text or call loved ones. Decompress after work by ranting to someone you trust.

When you’re at work, you have to put your game face on and be professional. When your shift ends, there’s no pressure to put up an act in front of your friends and family.

Talking to them helps release all the pent-up frustration from the day.

Personally, I find that calling a friend or a family member works better than texting because it’s faster than typing. You can have back-and-forth interactions within seconds. But it depends because some people don’t like phone calls.

Also, the person you want to reach out to might not be available for a phone call at the time you want to chat.

Sharing how you feel with a loved one is a weight lifted off your shoulders. They give you warm and fuzzy vibes as no one else can.

It’s also the time to catch up with them and see how they’ve been. Asking and listening about their personal life takes your mind off yours for a bit.

Soon enough, you’ll find yourself cracking jokes and laughing.

The best part about this method is that it’s something you can do right away after you leave work. While all the other activities on the list are helpful, you have to mostly wait until you go home before you decompress. You can ring a friend or a family on your commute home.

4) Journal

When everything seems like a mess, writing things down is a way of calming down your mind.

It can be hard to put a finger on WHY you’re in a bad mood. Journaling lets you think and put your thoughts into words properly.

There will be times when you don’t want to talk to a human. If you need to process your emotions yourself, you can turn to your trusted journal.

It does wonders for your mental health.

I prefer using a notebook and pen but there are online journals like Penzu, which I have also used in the past.

What’s fascinating about Penzu is that every so often, the company sends you an email about a past journal entry. You might have forgotten about what you wrote in a previous journal entry so Penzu is there to remind you.  

5) Watch Videos

Most people watch videos on YouTube or Netflix but there are so many other platforms out there to browse.

I absolutely adore YouTube. You can watch anything from the news to celebrity interviews to documentaries to music videos to even taking an online class.

There are shorter videos and longer videos. It all depends on what you feel like watching at the given moment.

YouTube is a great distraction and an escape place for millions of people. Just browsing the catalog and choosing what you want to watch will keep you busy.

On the other hand, Netflix shows take more time and dedication to finish, especially if you’re watching a Chinese drama for example.

Joining Netflix also costs money so unless you plan to use the hell out of it, you might not want to spend that unnecessary expense.

Watching something is a great way to decompress after work. It’s exactly what you need if you don’t want to use your brain after a stressful day.

6) Work On A Hobby

What’s something you enjoy doing?

Is it playing an instrument? Knitting? Blogging?

Doing an activity you love during your leisure time will energize you. It can be something you do alone or something you do with other people.

You’ll feel extra good if it’s something you haven’t done in a while.

For example, I love to blog but sometimes, I get writer’s block and need to take a break for a couple of days. Once I’m recharged, writing again reminds me of the reason why I haven’t given up yet on blogging even when I’m going through struggles. 

A lot of people don’t love their jobs but they can choose how to spend the remainder of their time after work.

7) Shopping

This can be a terrific way to decompress after work but don’t heavily rely on this method. You want to get out of a funk but not at the cost of your wallet.

It’s not anyone’s goal to go into debt to improve their mood.

If you do go shopping, think about something you needed that you’ve been putting off. Is it a household good that you keep saying you’ll buy later?

You can go to a home goods store and purchase that. It’s something to check off your bucket list and technically, it’s still shopping although it might not be as fun to buy something like cute clothes.

Again, shopping can be addicting. One swipe of your card and you might find yourself browsing websites like Vestiaire Collective all of a sudden. Use this method sparingly especially if you’re on a tight budget.

8) Chores

You might be thinking, ‘who wants to do chores as a way to relax?’

But hey, some people do chores to help reduce stress. Cleaning your house will take your mind off things.

When you pair that up with good music, you’ll instantly feel better because you chose to do something productive.

9) Food

This can be cooking food yourself or eating something.

After an exhausting day, you might not be eager to look for a recipe, gather ingredients, AND cook.

Then, the answer is getting ready-made food. It can be something small like a donut or a big meal so you can have leftovers over the next few days.

I’m not telling you to pig out but if there’s something you’ve been craving and you haven’t allowed yourself to indulge, go get yourself a treat.

You deserve it!

(Just make sure it’s not too often because that’s unhealthy and not good for you).

10) Go Out For A Walk

Walking around aimlessly can be therapeutic. We often rush from one destination to another in our daily life.

Strolling around an area can be chill as you have no specific time you have to be home unless you want to sleep earlier that night which is totally valid.

It’s even better when the weather and fresh air are nice. It will help with your stress levels and appreciate life. Live in the moment and turn off your brain for a bit.

11) Take A Warm Bath Or Shower

Imagine ending a day with you soaking in bath salts and bubbles all around you.

Now that’s what I’m talking about!

Ah, just THINKING about a warm bath is relaxing.

The warm water will relax your muscles and keep you calm. It’s a little piece of heaven and something I also like to indulge in.

For those who don’t have a bathtub at home, a warm shower will do.

I love this method of stress management because it also makes you feel clean. Hard to unwind if you feel dirty from the day.

12) Meditate

A lot of people do this already but it’s still worth a mention – mediation.

People can’t shut off their brains with ease so find some meditation apps and try them out.

Meditating clears your mind, lowers your blood pressure and heart rate, and allows you to practice deep breathing.

It’s a form of self-care to help tune out all the outside noise.

There are so many benefits which are why everyone is always going on and on about meditating. It’s hard to meditate initially because your mind wanders but do it enough and you’ll soon understand the hype.

Final Thoughts – Decompress After Work

When you need to decompress after work, do one or multiple things on the list to recharge you and cheer yourself up.

Give yourself some time to unwind after a long day and you’ll soon feel like yourself again in no time.

Now to You – Decompress After Work

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Xoxo,
Nicole