The Importance of Rituals and Routines in Maintaining Work/Life Balance

Struggling to mentally switch off from work is one of the most common presentations professional psychotherapists hear from their clients. The work day may end, but more and more people never truly switch off.

Being constantly focused and ruminating on work is a massive contributor to anxiety, stress, and burn out, and so being able to switch mental gears to other aspects of life is incredibly important from mental resiliency standpoint.

One of the best ways to mark this mental switch to different aspects of life is through the use of rituals and routines. Our minds and brains don’t necessarily want to switch focuses throughout the day. By marking the transition from work to personal life with a specific and repeated ritual, we can help our brain and mind switch gears from the problems of work to the other areas of our life.

Switching off doesn’t just organically happen, it occurs through repeated practice of sheparding our focus from one area of life to another. These markers and rituals can be simple, but effective when repeated and done intentionally over time. There are numerous ways in which to set up an effective ritual around switching off.

Firstly, wrapping up your work day:

• Take note of the tasks you have accomplished during the day, and highlight the tasks that still need attention.
• Rank these tasks by priority and set them up to be done the following day.
• Allow yourself to place these tasks ‘on the shelf’ until tomorrow.
• Set a boundary with these tasks and your own thoughts. These tasks don’t need to be done right this moment, you’ve already set time aside the next time you’re at your desk.
• Just because you think or feel it, does not mean that it is relevant or necessary at that moment.

Set your mind to neutral:

• Once you’ve organised your thoughts for work and placed them on the shelf, clear the slate of your mind.
• Activities that involve mindfulness and focus on things other than work are helpful here.
• This can include grounding exercises, meditation, mindfulness activities, or anything that provides deliberate and intentional focus without being stimulating or distracting.
• This reduces your thoughts and helps maintain the mental boundary you’ve set up with your work in your head.

Focus on the next area of your life:

• Now is the time to begin to consciously steer your mind towards what comes next.
• Bring your focus and attention to family, friends, hobbies, creative pursuits, or whatever you intend to do after work.
• If you find yourself distracted or refocusing on work that’s ok, just redirect yourself to what you’re switching to, as many times as it takes. The switch to a new focus will stick if you keep with it!

This process doesn’t have to take long, and the more consistently you do it the better the results become! If you’re having trouble switching off from work, give these a try and see how your actions can influence your thoughts and mood.

What are your favourite rituals and routines to switch off from work?

Written by Connor Cahill, Psychotherapist