Turning Brain Off

Hi @Former-Member - I found debriefing with someone really helpful when I was go go go go like. Although I kind of never really nailed that one. Hopefully others have some ideas to share. I'd be interested in hearing them too!

Hi @Former-Member, flatmate and I used to do the same when we were both in fast-paced office jobs. We got ourselves into trouble by talking about it actually. Like you say, it seemed to just keep us obsessed and unable to wind down, even intensifiying things sometimes. One thing that helped was deliberately not talking about work outside working hours. Like telling your brain that it needs to move on to another subject. Talk about anything else except that is my advice and try to leave any loose threads from the day for the next time you are at work.

Another thing that could help is deep breathing meditation. Sit in a chair, close eyes and focus mind's attention on the breath, the rhythm and feeling of the air rising and falling in the lungs. After a while, you may be able to slow down the breathing, doing it to a count of four in and five out. You might already know about this breathing thing and I know sometimes it can be hard to do when really wired. But it definitely helps me to some extent at least if I am feeling too worked up.

Hi @Former-Member

I do this.. or don't do this.. im not sure which. I find it incredibly difficult to turn my brain off after work... but i have found that i can sort of 'trick' my brain sometimes into saying i will only think about 'such and such' that is floating around in my hour of work prep/marking that I do after my kids have gone to bed. I also have a reflective journal where i will write down any 'big' things that have come up during the day, how i dealt with it and what i would do differently if i had a do over.. kind of like preparing for a repeat event if necessary.

Ive had a go at the mindful stuff of being completely present iwth what im doing, being dishes or reading or doing homework wiht my kids but not so great at that...

I find exercise helps a lot. while im exercising (enough to get icky and sweaty lol) i cant worry/stress over work stuff.. and it usually helps to break the cycle in the evenings.. but finding time and energy lately has been hard!

Will be reading to hear other people's ideas and tips/tricks 🙂

great topic @Former-Member

lj