In these hyper-connected times, in which the mobile phone has become almost an extension of our body -some people are already calling humans cyborgs for this reason- and in which we have access to the Internet 24 hours a day, it can be difficult to disconnect of work and draw a line between working hours and those of leisure and rest . Today at Ecoembes we are going to talk about how we can disconnect from work and thus have a better quality of life.
Especially when you’re especially motivated with work projects, it’s hard not to be seduced by the emails that keep pouring into your inbox, regardless of business hours . It seems to us that, in order to make sure that all the effort invested in the office has not been in vain, it is necessary to dedicate a few extra hours to work that, in the most extreme case, never end.
However, contrary to what is usually intuited, this “workaholic” attitude ( as it has ended up being translated from the English term “workaholic”) can be counterproductive for the company’s results and, what is worse, have repercussions negatively on the health of the employee.
Heart disease, digestive disorders, increased blood pressure, headache and musculoskeletal disorders are some of the effects that, in addition to stress, derive from this addiction to work, according to the WHO . That is why it is so important to learn to disconnect.
Ideas For Disconnection
According to human resources specialists, one of the main keys is to recognize that working outside the working day not only does not make the employee more productive but, on the contrary, it will act against their performance . Therefore, the first thing that the worker must do is remove any feeling of guilt for not taking the work home: after the day there should be no obligation towards the work activity.
Do Activities That You Are Passionate About
Once this barrier is overcome, experts recommend signing up for activities that are especially enjoyable , such as cooking, creative writing, photography or dance courses, among many others. Sports can also be of great help to disconnect, in addition to promoting people’s health and therefore contributing to their well-being.
Find A Place To Think
And, if at the end of work one is too tired to carry out any other activity, another piece of advice is, as soon as you get home, find a comfortable place and breathe deeply , imagine yourself in a pleasant place, practice meditation or simply listen to pleasant music .
Keep An Active Social Life
Maintaining an active social life outside of work is also crucial to relax and focus on daily aspects that are as important or more important than work productivity, such as friends, partner or family.
Travels
In the same way, trips are very useful to change the chip and disassociate yourself from the office. According to experts, just planning your itineraries can help you disconnect almost as much as the trips themselves. To do this, using maps, guides or books about the places that are of interest to us will generally have a more positive effect than a computer screen, especially if we have just spent eight hours in front of another screen.
Turn Off Mobile Devices
Social networks, in this sense, are usually a mistake if our intention is to be less stressed , since the constant notifications, the light on the screen and the dependency that mobile phones can generate do not help us feel more comfortable, but that, at least in most cases, what happens is rather the opposite. To overcome the challenge of not letting ourselves be carried away by the dependence on mobile phones, a good idea is to deactivate notifications —yes, also those of emails— so that, in this way, we only see that they have spoken to us or that they have interacted with our profiles on social networks when we deliberately want to dedicate that time to them.
Develop Your Creativity
Finally, letting our creativity fly through painting, dancing or cooking is an ideal tactic to achieve the goal we are pursuing, but it is also ideal to let ourselves be impressed by the creation of others and appreciate the cinema, concerts or art exhibitions.
Also Read: 10 Skills Of A Resilient Person