The Importance of Leaving Work At Work

We all bring work home from time to time. Worrying about an upcoming meeting or complaining about a policy change. However, this quite often goes beyond a quick thought for many. We don’t just think about these things when asked how our day was, we think about it all the time. On the drive home, while we’re eating dinner, watching TV. Planning what we can do when we go back to work, worrying if we had said the wrong thing or made a mistake. Checking emails and texts, or fearing that that notification is from work. It gets to the point that it feels as if we never really leave. It makes sense to have work on the mind so much, it is our livelihood and one of the places we spend the most time. However, worrying about work all the time becomes detrimental to not just us, but the job we’re worried about.

This can seem counter-intuitive to a lot of people. You’d generally think that if you spend more time focusing on something that it would have a positive impact. This is not actually the case, instead it tends to hurt us and the area of focus. This is due to multiple reasons. The first is that we need breaks in order to concentrate and be productive. By constantly thinking about work it stimulates the brain in a way that essentially has us feeling we are still there dealing with it, so we never get our needed rest. The next is that our brains simply aren’t designed to do multiple things at once. If we try relaxing and planning for work at the same time we end up not really doing either. Then we aren’t refreshed and no progress has been made toward fixing our problem. Finally, it can make us become avoidant. If we’re consistently worried about something it tends to create an anxiety response in us. Anxiety wants to avoid problems, not fix them.

In contrast, if we allow ourselves to put work down when we aren’t there and wait until we are present and able to act, we tend to be more productive. We feel more rested, clear headed, and confident. So the next time you’re having a hard time putting your work stress away, try and remind yourself that focusing on refilling your batteries is actually how you solve the problem. If you are having difficulties and would like help developing strategies to make this more attainable for you then you can schedule an appointment with us at burnoutpreventiontherapy.com.