Mental Vacation

This is from Stress Relief and Selfcare Cards by Allura and Arcia with my thoughts added.

Separate your work life from your personal life

As your workday comes to an end, your body and mind have accumulated a lot of stress. You may feel exhausted and mentally drained. It may be hard to stop thinking about work left undone or overthink decisions and judgment calls made at work. This can be a hindrance to truly resting.

It is very common to carry that agitation home with you if you do not create a peaceful transition between your work and personal life.

Create a mindful transition from your workday to your home life using a mental vacation visualization practice. By visualizing your perfect relaxation spot, you can put yourself in a calm, restful, and happy state of mind that allows you to move on peacefully to your next responsibilities. Spend even just a few minutes picturing a place where you feel at peace.

This may seem difficult depending on your responsibilities at home. Coming home to aging parents, a spouse, children, or even pets may not feel restful. That’s why this technique can be helpful in separating your work life from your personal life.

You may have to practice this visualization in the parent pick-up line at your child’s school or in your car before entering your home. If your home life is not too busy, you may be able to do this visualization on the couch right when you get home. If you work from home, it may be best to leave your house and go on a walk while visualizing a vacation spot. This provides a more tangible separation between work and home life, which is especially difficult for those who work from home.

Give this visualization a try. Let me know how it goes.