How easy do you find it to switch off from work at the end of a busy day?
For many people the answer is likely to be ‘not very easy at all’!
According to Statistica, the most common cause of UK stress is work-related (with 79% saying they frequently felt it). Our stress levels when it comes to work are high – and rising … why is that?
Why are our work-related stress levels so high?
01 | Work never ends
In the modern world, we’ve fallen into a trap of constantly working. Even when we’re not physically working, we’re working in our heads.
Thinking.
Worrying.
Planning.
Strategising.
Ruminating.
Our days simply don’t end when we leave the office, or close our laptops, and without that space and separation it can be very difficult to switch off from the stresses of work.
02 | Loss of control
Not only are we stressed because of work-related worries, but a huge part of that stress can also be attributed to the loss of control over our own time. If we’re always thinking about work (or contactable outside of work thanks to the rise of mobile devices), then our family time and our social time and our alone time isn’t truly ours.
03 | The goalposts keep moving
The world around us – particularly online – is always painting a picture of shiny perfection.
More money.
More things.
More power.
We want to keep up with it all. But the thing about more is, it’s never enough. So we find ourselves constantly moving the goalposts to meet our increased expectations. According to Morgan Housel, “the taste of having more … increases ambition faster than satisfaction.” If we’re never satisfied, then more is never going to be enough.
When we aim for something, and achieve it, our brain’s reward us with a little spike of dopamine. We experience a burst of pleasure and an ongoing motivation to receive that dopamine reward again. In other words, any satisfaction in achieving our goals is short-lived; quickly replaced by the need for more; the need to achieve again.
We find ourselves working harder, working longer hours and falling into the trap of this level of commitment becoming the expected ‘norm’ at work. When the goalposts keep on moving, what is the sacrifice? Often it’s sleep, family time and your own mental well-being.
04 | Our failures at work loom larger than our successes
In all our decisions – even the very best ones – there is an element of chance, and of risk in taking that option. When we experience failure at work, both real and imagined, we tend to look inwards and blame ourselves:
- “ I didn’t try hard enough”
- “I made a bad decision”
- “It’s my fault it didn’t work out”
The feelings of anxiety and shame that often accompany these thoughts trigger our body’s stress response and release the stress hormone cortisol.
The stress response was designed for survival and self-protection. But in today’s world, our perceived failures can often bring about disproportionate negative self-talk and self-criticism.
Meanwhile, we tend not to pat ourselves on the back for our successes. Instead, we are all too quick to emphasize the element of luck in our wins, meaning that often there is a huge over-emphasis on what hasn’t gone well at work … rather than focusing on what we’ve done right!
05 | We don’t know when to quit
Often we remain in situations at work that are no longer the best for us, simply because we have already invested time, money and effort in that role or in that course of action. This phenomenon is known as the sunk cost fallacy.
When you’ve already invested heavily in something, it can be hard to walk away and start over. Our decision-making becomes anchored in our past efforts, and we internalise thoughts like …
- “I’ve already started so I might as well keep going.”
- “It would be a waste to give up now.”
- “I’m not feeling good about this but it’s too late to change my mind.”
This cognitive bias causes us to stick with decisions that are no longer right for us, or to make further irrational emotionally-charged decisions that don’t serve us (The National Institutes of Health). In sticking it out we often cause ourselves more stress and anxiety by persevering in a situation that is no longer working.
How can you switch off from work?
If your work-related stress levels are high, and the boundaries between your work and personal life are blurred, what can you do about it? How can we better switch off from work at the end of a busy day?
Try some of these neuroscience-aligned strategies to create greater space and separation between work and the rest of your life:
✦ Ritualise the end of work
Put some space in between your work day and the rest of your day and try to keep the two separate. You could try going for a gentle walk or listening to your favourite (non work-related!) podcast on the way home. By turning this into a ritual your brain and body, over time, will take this as the signal that work is over for the day.
✦ Do something different
Choose activities in the evenings and over the weekend that are not at all similar to your working day. If you spend all day looking at screens, try to avoid watching lots of tv or playing video games in your free time.
✦ Distract yourself
Which activities demand your whole attention? You don’t have to choose something physically draining or mentally taxing, but there are some activities that you will find it easier to immerse yourself in than others. These immersive absorbing activities can be a great distraction in dragging your brain away from work.
✦ Walk away from your devices
Unless your workplace has a set requirement for you to be available outside of your typical office hours (for example, if you work on call), then try to set boundaries to protect your personal time. Our brains can be cued and triggered into thoughts about work even by the sight of our work phone or laptop, so try to keep these out of sight (and earshot!) if possible.
Conclusion
In our busy and demanding modern world, it can be a real challenge to separate work from the rest of our lives and, as a result, it is hard to feel relaxed and present outside of work. Our stress levels as a nation are rising as we’re experiencing huge pressure to work more and work harder, but there is a balance to be struck and real power in the release and recognition of ‘enough.’
Switching off from work is likely to be a journey – it won’t happen overnight! But over time, by setting healthy boundaries and adopting some of these strategies in a way that works for your own unique circumstances you might find that the lines between work and your personal life become less blurred and it is easier to psychologically ‘switch off’ from the stress and demands of your working day.
Embrace the switch off!
References
Housel, M. (2020). The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed and happiness.
Amanda Dumsch, National Institutes of Health. (2021, November, 22). Sunk cost fallacy – how it affects career decision making. Retrieved (July, 3, 2024) from www.oitecareersblog.od.nih.gov/2021/11/22/sunk-cost-fallacy-how-it-affects-career-decision-making