How to Relax After a Hard Day

Leaving Work at Work

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You had a challenging, productive, and sometimes stressful day at the office. You then battled traffic to make it home. Now you need to put your mind at ease, recharge your battery, and refresh yourself so you can do the whole thing again tomorrow.

Yet the house is a mess, the kids are restive, and your partner wants to know what you're cooking for dinner (yes, it's your turn!)

Or perhaps things at home are relatively calm, but your mind is anything but. Try as you might, you just can't stop turning over the day's events – and obsessing about tomorrow's challenges. Your evening leisure hours have been stolen by work thoughts – and before you know it, it will be time to go back.

If either of these scenarios describes your after-work evenings and weekends, you might need to work a little harder at something that seems like it should come easy: Taking a well-earned breather after a long day at the office.

Like most other tasks, relaxation is a skill – one that repays the effort of learning it. Mastering the art of relaxation off the job can make you more rested, focused, energetic – and successful – on it.

Does relaxing really matter?

If you're having trouble resting your mind away from the office, you already know it. But what are the consequences? Here are just some of the troubles the tired and relaxation-challenged face at work:

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