Workplace stress is a major concern around the world today.
There are a number of reasons for it.
Some are in a job that doesn’t fit well with their goals and core values.
Some maybe just have a few bad days here and there, but it affects them well beyond working hours.
We all have those kinds of days. Even Garfield had his Monday moments.
If you’ve just come home from a really bad day at work, here are a few ideas that might help.
1. Walking
We’re going to try to avoid some of the common, but perhaps a little dangerous things that people do to blow off steam. One might be to go for a drive. That might be totally fine, but be careful obviously with speed or getting angry at other drivers. Maybe drive to a place and park where you can be alone to chill out.
But one of the best ways to cool off after a long day is to go for a walk. Preferably in nature. And I would say where you don’t have to necessarily talk to others. Maybe even a place that is fairly remote. Through the woods on a local trail or something like that.
Leave the phone at home. Just let yourself be alone with your thoughts. It’s a great way to go over what happened that day and get it all out in your head. An hour or so and usually you can be sufficiently ready for the next day.
2. Manual Labor
After a bad day sometimes it’s good to do something physical to work out the stress. Something repetitive. Something that you’ve done enough times so that you don’t have to think about what you’re doing. You can kind of be in the zone while you’re doing it.
You accomplish something while also working out any issues in your head.
Chopping wood. Cutting the grass. Building something. Knitting. Cleaning the house. Washing the car.
There are a number of things people often do to blow off steam that are both productive, provide exercise and help ease stress.
3. Listen To Sad Songs
It’s true. It really does help. One thought is that listening to sad music makes us feel fortunate. Sad songs are often really sad and they put our situations in perspective. Another thought is that sad music helps us feel like we’re not alone in the world. There are others out there with their own sufferings. That can be comforting.
4. Solo Games & Puzzles
Just an activity to get you doing something while giving your brain time to work things out. It’s also a way to challenge your brain, which is good for relieving stress.
I like solo games in this situation. That way you don’t have to necessarily have a conversation with someone else, which can be frustrating if you’ve had a bad day at work.
5. Imagine Something Funny At Work
It turns out that this one can work. You have a bad day at work. Maybe the boss made a mistake, but made you fix it and blamed you for it. Imagining that while the boss was yelling at you that their pants fell down or that they spilled their coffee on themselves can help. It can make you laugh. It can put a little ease into the situation.
6. Look Ahead
To something coming up at work.
Be careful with reminiscing. Thinking about how good things seemed in the past can make the present seem even more worse than it really is. But thinking ahead can have the opposite effect. It can make you think that you can get through today because that bonus is coming up. Or that you’re likely to get a promotion. Or that simply this bad day will pass and good days will come.
7. Self Examination
Finally, just sit and have a little time for self examination. A time to think about yourself. Your strengths. What you want in life. Knowing who you are and what you want and why you want it is huge in life. But many people don’t give themselves the chance to think about it. They just go through life trying to get by.
Knowing more about yourself can often make your choices easier. That can lead to reduced stress and worry about the future, which can help on bad days. But it can also help you decide if maybe a work change needs to be made or if another situation should be altered.
Conclusion
Everybody is going to have bad days at work. Usually they’re not the end of the world. But it’s nice to have some kind of way to cope in the moment when things aren’t going so well. Hopefully these suggestions above can help you if you’re having a particularly bad day.