Do a short course<\/strong><\/p>\nDon\u2019t know where to start with a new hobby? Enrol in a short course. Whether it\u2019s a single day course in floristry, learning basic DIY or carpentry skills, having a go at life drawing over a number of weeks or taking up a new language, there\u2019s a range of courses available through private providers and community colleges. Learning new skills forges new pathways in the brain, encouraging neuroplasticity, and will leave little room for work worries. Enrolment (and the fee you\u2019ll inevitably pay) can also create a level of accountability, urging you on to turn up each week.<\/p>\n
Make a date<\/strong><\/p>\nWe all know catching up with friends is fun, but on the weekends, it\u2019s also an opportunity to engage with your wider social circle, whether it\u2019s a platonic or romantic interaction. While it can feel good to unload about work worries, Burgess says it is often better to shift the conversation to the person you\u2019re with to get out of your own head.<\/p>\n
\u201cTalk to a friend about their world instead,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
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Meeting up with a friend for coffee at the weekend is a good opportunity to forget about work.Credit: iStock<\/p>\n
Listen and watch \u2013 but not your phone<\/strong><\/p>\nIf you prefer your own company, or you simply don\u2019t have the time to commit, carve out some space in your head with a good movie or an engaging podcast. It\u2019s a short-term measure to stop unwanted thoughts about work creeping in, to be sure, but it may be enough to break the cycle of unwanted thoughts. Go see a film, listen to a history podcast while you do the housework, put on some music and dance around the house \u2013 whatever floats your boat. Just stay off your phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurn on the television if you want, but don\u2019t scroll social media because you lose so much time,\u201d Burgess says.<\/p>\n
Make long-term plans<\/strong><\/p>\nIf you are thinking about work on the weekend, it could be a sign you\u2019re feeling overwhelmed and you might need a holiday. Making long-term plans, whether it is researching a trip, investigating further study or exploring retirement options, will not only give you something practical to do in your time off but can also make you feel more in control of your life and put your current work environment into perspective.<\/p>\n
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In the end, if you are always spending your free time thinking about work, it might be time to talk to your manager or HR about strategies for managing your workload. Taking time for yourself is not only a benefit to you, but also to the business you work for via improved productivity. Whatever you do, Burgess says you should avoid the temptation to fire up the laptop and do a couple of hours\u2019 work, especially at the end of a long week.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t try to push through,\u201d she says. \u201cYou can spend that extra hour working on a carefully crafted email at the end of the day and come back the next morning only to realise that what you thought was so eloquently written is far from perfect.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to set boundaries for yourself to stop bringing work home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Make the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with our<\/b> Live Well newsletter<\/b>. <\/b>Get it in your inbox<\/a> every Monday<\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Exercise has long been linked to positive mental health and social outcomes, but not all exercise will help…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":145348,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4317],"tags":[105,218,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-145347","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114599394467477382","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145347\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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