Techniques for Decompressing After Work

Most people think rest means doing nothing. But it doesn't work that way. When I was rebuilding my career after leaving law, I discovered something that changed how I approach rest completely. I was exhausted from constant decision-making, yet lying on the sofa scrolling my phone left me feeling more drained than before. The science explains why: Your brain has different networks that need different types of recovery. Here's how to match your rest to your work:   🪑 If you work sitting down, don't rest sitting down too. ↳ Movement restores circulation and energy   💻 If you're glued to screens, rest with no tech involved. ↳ Digital detox helps your eyes and attention recover   🛋️ If you barely move all day, use your free time to move your body. ↳ Physical activity resets your nervous system   📢 If it’s loud where you work, be somewhere quiet when you're done. ↳ Silence helps lower stress and brain fatigue   🏢 If you're indoors all the time, get outside where there's space to breathe. ↳ Natural settings lower cortisol and sharpen focus   🧠 If your work is mentally heavy, do something that doesn't need thinking. ↳ Cognitive rest lets your brain process and consolidate   🗣️ If you're around people all day, spend time alone with no interruptions. ↳ Solitude restores your social processing capacity Research backs this up: different types of fatigue require different recovery methods. When you match your rest to your work, your body actually restores itself. This completely shifted how I approach downtime.  No more wondering why I still feel drained after a day off. Rest isn't one size fits all. Your work style should guide your recovery style. What type of rest works best for your work style? Let me know in the comments. ♻️ Repost to help someone rest better 👉 Follow Lauren Murrell for more like this

Stress? Here’s what actually works. Most "calm down tactics" fail because they're: ↳ Band-aids on deeper issues. ↳ Quick fixes that don't last. ↳ One-size-fits-all solutions. This list? It's not just tips. It's what I live by. Real-world guide to staying calm: (Backed by science, tested in real life) 1/ OVERTHINKING → WRITE ✍️ ↳ Gets your swirling thoughts out of your head. > 43% tamed. ↳ Makes them easier to handle.  ↳ Try this: 10 minutes of unfiltered writing. No editing, just release. 2/ UNINSPIRED → READ 📚 ↳ Gives your brain fresh ideas. ↳ Lets you escape for a bit > 68% stress relief.  ↳ Try this: 15 minutes reading anything non-work. Watch your mood shift. 3/ SCARED → TAKE A SMALL RISK 🎯 ↳ Teaches your brain you can handle discomfort. ↳ Builds confidence with every step. ↳ Try this: Do one tiny scary thing today. That's progress. 4/ STUCK → WALK 🚶 ↳ Boosts blood flow and clears your head. > 15% creativity boost. ↳ Helps new ideas come naturally. ↳ Try this: 10-minute phone-free walk. Let your mind wander. 5/ TIRED → SLEEP 😴 ↳ Exhaustion messes with focus and emotions. ↳ Rest resets your system > 54% alertness improvement.  ↳ Try this: Power nap or early bedtime. 6/ CONFUSED → ASK 💭 ↳ Talking out loud often brings clarity. > 70% clarity.  ↳ You don't have to figure it out alone. ↳ Try this: One clear question beats hours of confusion. 7/ FRUSTRATED → MOVE 💪 ↳ Movement helps release built-up tension. > 25% mood booster.  ↳ Physical action shifts your mood. ↳ Try this: Quick stretch or 10 jumping jacks. Feel the difference. 8/ BURNED OUT → TAKE A DAY OFF 🌳 ↳ Full rest helps your brain and body bounce back. > +60% productivity.  ↳ Time in nature helps even more. ↳ Try this: Schedule a real break. No screens, no guilt. 9/ IMPATIENT → REVIEW PROGRESS 📈 ↳ Looking back reminds you how far you've come. ↳ It helps you stay motivated. ↳ Try this: List 3 recent wins, no matter how small. 10/ UNMOTIVATED → REMEMBER YOUR "WHY" ⭐ ↳ Purpose gives your effort meaning. > +35% perseverance.  ↳ It helps you push through hard moments ↳ Try this: Picture who benefits from your work today. Bonus: These aren't quick fixes. ↳ Your emotions are signals, not problems. ↳ Each response is backed by science. ↳ Calm isn't about feeling better, it's about responding better. Remember: Your emotional state is temporary. Your response to it shapes everything. 💬 Which one resonates most? Share below ⇣ 🔖 Save this for your next tough moment ♻️ Share with someone who needs this today ➕ Follow Loren Rosario - Maldonado, PCC Rosario-Maldonado, PCC, for more science-backed leadership wisdom. 

Beat Yourself to the Punch. If you're lying awake at 2am thinking about work, chances are you're not transitioning out of work well—or giving yourself a proper emotional debrief. I often talk with clients about doing just that: checking in after a tough moment, separating what’s yours to carry from what’s not, and inserting logic before emotion has time to spiral. One client recently shared how she used this tool after a high-emotion call where someone was clearly projecting onto her. Instead of brushing it off, she paused. She wrote down: ➡️ What was hers vs. what was not ➡️ Logical next steps or options ➡️ A few grounding reminders for herself And at 2am, when the doubt and insecurity started creeping in... She had something to go back to—something thoughtful, rational, and calming. ✅ She had already done the work. ✅ She had beat herself to the punch. Your nighttime mind isn’t always your wisest self. But your 6pm self—when you take time to reflect—can be your best defense. Ask yourself: ❓ Did I emotionally debrief today? ❓ Did I transition out of work with intention? ❓ Did I consume things (screens, food, drinks, conversations) that help or hurt my ability to relax and recover? Small daily practices can prevent big nightly spirals.

How do you effectively disconnect from work? It's Sunday, and have the so-called "Sunday Scaries" hit you? Are you already thinking and perhaps stressing about the week ahead?   If so, you're not alone. Research from the University of Exeter has found that the blurring of boundaries between work and home life is one cause.   Finding ways to switch off is essential, but often hard. Over the years, I have had to really work at this. Switching off has not come easy. Here are seven tips that have helped.   🎆 Tip One - Schedule tomorrow Before you finish your working day, write down what you want to achieve at work tomorrow. Outlining your tasks and scheduling your workday in advance helps stop you from ruminating about everything you need to do tomorrow.   ⌛ Tip Two - Have rituals Much of what we do each day is a habit, a regular pattern of behaviour. Establish a routine that signals to your brain that your working day has finished.     It might be getting out of your work clothes, meditating, switching your phone to silent, listening to a podcast or calling a friend.   🚦 Tip Three - Set boundaries You need to establish two types of boundaries: those with yourself and those with your boss and work colleagues.   If you consistently work long into the evening and answer emails late at night, you create a pattern of behaviour for yourself and those around you.     Discuss boundaries with your colleagues and boss and agree on the protocols for handling calls and emails outside set work hours.    ⏰ Tip Four - Find the off-switch It's always easy to be 'on', so use technology to help you switch 'off'. Have your phone automatically switch to 'do not disturb' and turn off social media push notifications and email alerts at set times.   🎊 Tip Five - Book time for fun Plan and schedule regular events in your calendar that force you to leave your work desk and not burn the midnight oil. These could be art classes, catching up with a friend, or attending a community activity.   These activities not only help you switch off but also help you maintain balance and connection.   🎽 Tip Six -Shake it off In the iconic words of Taylor Swift – Shake it off. Exercise is one of the best things you can do to leave your workday behind. Get the blood pumping and those endorphins zinging through your body, and you'll leave your workday behind.   🏆 Tip Seven - Celebrate your progress Developing new workplace habits takes time and effort, so be patient with yourself and celebrate your progress.   As the author of some of my favourite childhood books, Dr Seuss, wrote - "When he worked, he really worked. But when he played, he really PLAYED."   What tips work for you? Add your ideas to the discussion. #leaders #selfcare ##LinkedInNewsAustralia

One of the most important lessons I learned that improved my well-being as a lawyer: detaching from work requires intentionality and effort. Detachment is tricky, because even when you walk away from the office at the end of the day, your mind can—and often does—remain in an endless loop of thinking about work. It's easy to fall into the trap of believing, as I did, that the more time I spent thinking about work, the more effective I'd be at my job. But I learned that it's often the opposite—detaching allows you to refresh, recharge and rejuvenate, which makes time spent focused on work more productive. This seems fairly obvious, right? But as many of us know, detaching is way easier said than done. Here are three things that helped me: 1. A shutdown routine: At the end of each workday, I started spending 15 minutes taking a spin through my email inbox to make sure I didn't miss anything, checking my calendar to see what's on the docket for the next few days, and preparing my to-do list for the next day. While I often spend a bit of time on email after my kids go to bed (so it's not a literal shutdown), the routine gives me confidence to detach after putting in a hard day of work. 2. An outside interest I love: When I'm engaged in vigorous exercise on my mountain bike, with friends and in nature, it's almost impossible to think about work because I'm fully present in the moment. 3. Putting my phone in a drawer at home: I only started doing this upon having kids, after realizing that while I may have been physically present with them, I kept sneaking glances at my email, which meant I wasn't mentally present. Finally, I think this recommendation from a Harvard Business Review article is a critical reminder for all of us who struggle with detachment: "Remind yourself that you are much more than your job: However much you love your job, it is a mistake to define yourself too closely to your work. Take time to reflect on what you want to achieve in life and think about your definition of personal success. This should help you during those times when work gets difficult and the pressure becomes unbearable. What is your definition of life success?" What is your definition of life success? That's a big question we all must grapple with. It's a critical one to consider, because only when we have a sense of the answer, can we engage in a process of reverse-engineering a career plan, and day-to-day work experience, that maps to that vision. I hope you find time to detach—and enjoy people and activities you love—over the weekend!