WEBVTT - How to stop ruminating about work

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is about how to stop thinking about work

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<v Speaker 1>when you're not at work. Long time listeners know that

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<v Speaker 1>I don't believe there should automatically be strict lines between

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<v Speaker 1>work and the rest of life. Lots of people work flexibly,

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<v Speaker 1>and lots of people enjoy the substance of their jobs.

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<v Speaker 1>They're happy to do work at nine p m. Sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>so they can visit a child's class at nine am.

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<v Speaker 1>They like to spend what could be leisure time brainstorming

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<v Speaker 1>ideas or reading about subjects related to work. Watching TV

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<v Speaker 1>isn't automatically a better way to relax than thinking about

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<v Speaker 1>your chosen calling. That said, there's a difference between chosen

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<v Speaker 1>happy work thoughts verse ruminating about work stressors, and if

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<v Speaker 1>worries about work are crowding out time for every thing else,

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<v Speaker 1>that's a problem. That was the case for a listener

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<v Speaker 1>who wrote that she listened to Before Breakfast every day

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<v Speaker 1>on the way into work. It generally helps start me

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<v Speaker 1>in a positive mindset, even though a lot of the

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<v Speaker 1>time I have to get creative about how to apply

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<v Speaker 1>the tips to my work, she noted, since as a

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<v Speaker 1>daycare worker, she spent her day wrangling two year olds

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<v Speaker 1>rather than processing emails. I love my job, she wrote.

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<v Speaker 1>I make a lot of memories, and that's how I

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<v Speaker 1>know it's a career where I'm spending my time wisely

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<v Speaker 1>helping grow little humans who make the world a better place. However,

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<v Speaker 1>caring for children is an emotionally laborious job. Our listener

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<v Speaker 1>didn't have kids of her own, so when I come home,

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<v Speaker 1>it's just me, she said. But I just cannot turn

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<v Speaker 1>work off my brain. I spend every night and every

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<v Speaker 1>weekend thinking about the kids, and not exactly productively. It's

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<v Speaker 1>not productive downtime and recharge time either. Even my dreams

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<v Speaker 1>are child care centered. So what I'm asking, she said,

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<v Speaker 1>is do you have any tips on how to actually

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<v Speaker 1>turn work off. She noted that I find myself even

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<v Speaker 1>struggling to read or write in my downtime. Writing is

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<v Speaker 1>my passion, but it's like I'm zapped of everything whenever

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<v Speaker 1>I'm home. I thought this was a great question, and

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<v Speaker 1>as a parent myself, I hope the parents in our

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<v Speaker 1>listeners daycare know how lucky they are to have a

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<v Speaker 1>caregiver who spends all her time thinking about the kids,

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<v Speaker 1>but she certainly deserved to be able to relax when

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<v Speaker 1>she was off the clock. I had a few suggestions

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<v Speaker 1>for me when I'm really ruminating about issues. I know

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<v Speaker 1>that any sort of exercise is helpful. Our listeners no

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<v Speaker 1>doubt exhausted when she gets home from work, but a

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<v Speaker 1>fifteen to twenty minute walk can help with calming down

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<v Speaker 1>and rejuvenation. If there's no good place to walk. There

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<v Speaker 1>are a ton of online exercise videos out there, yoga, aerobics,

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<v Speaker 1>strength work, many of which are cheap or free, so

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<v Speaker 1>that's an option for getting a little mental break too.

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<v Speaker 1>I love to read, and lately I've been borrowing e

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<v Speaker 1>books for free through Libby, a service that links your

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<v Speaker 1>local library card to your ebook catalog. There. When you're

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<v Speaker 1>mentally exhausted, you probably won't pick up ulysses or anything

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<v Speaker 1>that's difficult. So the key to reading for relaxation is

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<v Speaker 1>making sure it doesn't feel like more work. Choose something

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<v Speaker 1>like humor graphic novels, or easy fiction like romance novels.

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<v Speaker 1>It goes without saying that our listener probably wants to

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<v Speaker 1>stay away from books on child development, professional reading is awesome,

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<v Speaker 1>but not when you're trying to take your mind off work.

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<v Speaker 1>Another idea. When I get really into a project, I

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<v Speaker 1>tend to find that rejuvenating. So I asked our listener

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<v Speaker 1>if there were any crafty or artsy things she could

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<v Speaker 1>make space for in the evening. Needlework, scrap booking, art, music,

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<v Speaker 1>even building a ship in a bottle are always to

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<v Speaker 1>become absorbed in something that will fill your brain. The

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<v Speaker 1>key to getting started when you're exhausted is to challenge

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<v Speaker 1>yourself to just do twenty minutes or so, and then

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<v Speaker 1>you can vege out in front of the TV all

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<v Speaker 1>night if you want. Usually, by twenty minutes in, you

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<v Speaker 1>be so absorbed in your project that you'll forget what

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<v Speaker 1>you were going to watch. Hobbies can then be a

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<v Speaker 1>great link to online communities devoted to these spheres. Our

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<v Speaker 1>listener mentioned living in a rural area, which somewhat limited

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<v Speaker 1>evening social opportunities, but that's why phones were invented. A

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<v Speaker 1>few fifteen minute phone calls each week to friends and

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<v Speaker 1>family who live elsewhere can definitely focus the brain on

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<v Speaker 1>other things. Finally, I know meditation can be a bit

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<v Speaker 1>of a cliche, but a lot of people swear by

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<v Speaker 1>it because it works for them. If you feel stuck

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<v Speaker 1>ruminating about work, it might be worth trying a guided

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<v Speaker 1>meditation app just to see if it helps listeners. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>sure you have ideas too, So how do you keep

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<v Speaker 1>from thinking about work when you're not at work? What

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<v Speaker 1>advice would you give our listener? You can email us

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<v Speaker 1>at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com. In

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's

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<v Speaker 1>to making the most of our time. M Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at I heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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<v Speaker 1>my heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.