How to Reset and Recover After a Long Day of Work

 We all have those days. The kind of day where it feels as if it were three in one. The day where your stress levels are over the roof. You are not exactly sure what has happened other than your feelings of exhaustion and overwhelm. So, you head home to the second part of your day, not even sure how to get done the things that need to get done. Or be the you that you need to be because you are simply that exhausted. You are definitely in need of a reset after your long day.

The good news is that there is a solution. You can feel recharged for the next day. It is possible. Which is why I have a list of ideas on how to actually reset after a long day of work. Therefore, no matter how many long hours you are working, or all the extra time spent devoted towards things stealing from your peace. You can be sure to reset at the end of the workday. It is possible to feel restored and recharged after a long day of work! 

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Super Easy Ideas to Reset After a Long Day of Work

I completely get it. There is so much going on in your work life. There is so much going on in your personal life. So many thoughts and feelings residing within your heart. Additionally, there’s so many things you feel every single day. So many moments of life where you are finding yourself asking the hard questions, Am I enough? Am I good enough? Is this working the way it should be? Can I give more to any particular situation?

And I want to remind you right now, stop being your biggest critic. The truth is, you are doing an incredible job. You are strong, intelligent, talented, and you are so good at how you are showing up in your life right now. There is nothing else that you need to add to your to-do list, other than just continue to show up as you are each present moment of the day. As you show up throughout the different things within your day, be sure to give yourself grace. Be proud of what you’ve accomplished. And know it’s okay for the moments when you fall short. 

The Importance of Resetting After a Long Day of Work

I am so excited to share with you effective ways to reset at the end of the day. Specifically, super easy ideas on how to reset after a stressful day of work, when you feel drained and tired. For when you feel exhausted, and find yourself wondering what to do and how to move forward from here?  The good news is, it doesn’t have to be as difficult as you think. You can actually relax and take the pressure off as you spend precious time allowing yourself to recover at the end of the day.

Now, I would absolutely love it for you to book a coaching call with me. Think of this as a personalized encouragement mixed with motivation specifically targeted for you and where you currently are in life. Through our one hour Zoom call, we will dive deep, talk through the areas of your life that are causing you the biggest stress of the day, as well as different things you can implement within your daily routine to achieve more work-life balance as a busy mom.

Mindset Coaching

Through our coaching call, we will figure out the point of overwhelm and go through the steps of my mindset method to get you from feeling insecure to walking in confidence. Think of this as a one on one hour long coffee chat with a friend who sees you, hears you, and understands your heart’s desire for more. 

Now, let’s get into the gold here and focus specifically on the best ways to reset at the end of the day, after a long day of work.  The truth is, we have all been there. We know what it is like to get to the end of a bad day, and are in desperate need of quality time pouring into you. In order to give your self and your body the reset that it needs. Maybe you’re in a season of life where these days are few and far in between, or maybe these days are happening regularly. Where you are getting to the end of the day and you feel like you don’t even have a moment to sit and breathe.

10 Best Ways to Reset After a Long Day

So that is what we’re going to do. And I’m going to share with you a list. There’s actually 10 things on this list. 10 best ways to unwind and decompress at the end of the day. And we’re going to move through the list pretty quickly. However, what I want to make sure you do before hearing some of the most effective ways to reset at the end of the day is to take a moment and pause. Stop first and assess what it is you currently need. Think through your heart, think through your feelings, and decide, what is truly going to give me this reset? 

While all of these are really great ideas, they might not work on one particular day. There might be one day where one is screaming at you as the best option. Some of these things might be really good ideas on certain days and some of them might not. Just something only you are going to know. And definitely think and listen deep to yourself to figure out what makes the most sense? Ready? Simple, easy ways to reset after a long day of work. 

#1 Tip to Reset After a Long Day – Spend time Outside 

The very first step to reset after a long day of work is to spend time outside. Seriously, in need of taking better care of you, spend a lot of time outside. And this doesn’t have to be overly complicated. What I mean here is just spend a few more minutes outside. Think through when you normally would be inside trying to rush through dinner and getting everywhere and everyone what they need.

Especially, if you have little ones at home. I have a two year old, full of energy and big emotions. This one is such a power move within our household. If I take some moments at the end of the day, when we get home from work and daycare, and before we really make this move into dinner and bedtime. If we stop, slow down and spend time outside, It is a game changer.

The Benefit of Spending Intentional Moments Outside

First off, being outside feels amazing. It feels incredible. Truly, the simple act of spending time outside, allows you to really take a moment to slow down. To be present. And often times, if I spend time outside, even the problems seem to feel less big. Even if they’re big problems, it just feels less. Therefore, get out the outside toys, all the chalk and bubbles. Take a moment and sit, be calm and enjoy some quiet moments outside. 

Additionally, this is a great thing for the little ones as well. By spending time outside, it is a perfect way for them to get out some of their energy, To feel the sun on their skin and soak up that time together. It doesn’t have to be long. It can truly be 5, 10, or 15 minutes. Just set time aside, in between the moving into the next part of your day. Truly, I encourage you to spend time outside as a really great powerful way to reset after a long day of work. 

#2 – Go for a long walk outside

The second most effective way to reset at the end of a long day of work is to actually go for a long walk outside. Specifically, set time aside to go for a walk, to get let the blood flow, and move your body. This does not have to be this incredible 20 plus minute adventure, it can be quite simple. However, by spending that time away from the home, and specifically spending it outside in the fresh air is such a surefire way to prioritize and care for your mental health.

Allowing yourself, if you are able to. Maybe, share parenting roles, or if you can find a way to after bedtime for the little ones, head outside and just spend 15 minutes at a leisurely pace. Bring headphones, listen to music or not listen to music. Or listen to your favorite podcast or not listen to your favorite podcast. Take a brief pause from your day and be outside with yourself and your thoughts. Going for a walk is a really, really great way to just settle things down within yourself. 

Tip #3 to Reset After a Long Day – Turn off your phone & put away any distractions

The third idea to help you reset at the end of the workday is to turn off your phone and put away any distractions. Honestly, this is something every single person needs to utilize more often in their daily life. Turn off your phone, put it away and remove any distractions. I understand how tempting it is, especially when things feel extremely overwhelming and the work day has been extremely exhausting and draining, to just want to tune it all out.

To focus your attention and energy into scrolling through social media. The temptation to lay down somewhere, tune everything else out, and tune in to whatever is trending on your social media apps. Personally, I always love scrolling through Pinterest. That’s my way of trying to shift my mind to something else. Or checking the inbox if you have an addiction too checking all the notifications on your phone.

However, don’t do that. Don’t allow yourself to do any of those things because that is just going to contribute to more stress and more anxiety and more feelings of exhaustion. Take your phone, put it away, have it go charge in another room and spend some time away from it. This is such an empowering way to reset, especially after a long day of work. 

#4 – Sit and connect with the people you love

Number four, sit and connect with the people you love. In order to reset after a long day of work, allow yourself to be present, actually take time to be intentional in the moment. I know on days where I have really long, hard days, and I’m just feeling worn out, there’s something super special about that bedtime with my son. When we are reading books, or snuggling, or we’re being goofy and silly. You know, the before bed silliness that totally overwhelms all of everyone in the household, where you’re like, you have so much energy right now. What is going on?

But actually sit and be in that moment and not worry about other things. It’s those moments that recharge us in a very deep connection way that our hearts need. It’s in the moments when we’re reading stories and I sit down with my son and I’m thinking, this moment right here, being in this moment, not doing anything else. Reading this story, connecting with him, seeing his smile, seeing how he is excited about the next page, curious about what each thing on the book is. It’s that moment that truly allows me to feel connected and reminds me of a greater purpose for life.

These moments help take away the stress and the worry away. They allow me to be here, right now in this moment. Definitely sit and connect with the people you love, whether that’s your spouse, whether that’s your children, whether that’s your dogs. Just find a way to connect and be in that moment. 

Tip #5 to Reset After a Long Day – Unwind and read a book 

The fifth way to reset at the end of the day is to unwind and read a book.  This is such a good way to just take a load off, stop thinking about work, stop thinking about what needs to get done, and truly just relax and read a story. A story that you can get lost in, a story that can excite you, something that you can really enjoy.

I love the feeling of sitting down and reading a book. It’s something that I really only do if we’re on vacation. Or it’s a slower season and I’m not teaching and it’s a winter break and there’s time on my hands. Definitely something that I think all of us can do a little bit more of and find a lot of benefit from is to read a book. Plus, this is a great way to reset after a long stressful day of work.

#6 – Journal

The sixth way to reset after a long day of work is to journal. I recently bought a new journal. Truthfully, I always buy journals. Journals, pens, books, coffee, the things that I buy. I love the blank pages a new journal brings. The ability to write down thoughts and feelings. The things that you can’t really get off your chest when you’re talking to somebody that you can only really get off your chest through writing.

Specifically, letting your hand and the words flow from your brain, your heart, your mind, to your fingers in the pen. So definitely take some time to journal, even if it’s five minutes, or just 60 seconds. Even when you feel like there’s not much to write about for a particular day. It can be simple.

There’s power in that. There’s so much power in taking your thoughts and your feelings and all the things that you carry within yourself and writing it down on paper. It allows you to release it to the paper and not have to carry it anymore. And that’s so powerful. 

#7 – Do something that truly brings you joy

The seventh thing to do at the end of a long day of work is to do something that truly brings you joy. Something that you can get giddy about. Specifically, do something that lights your heart up. When I think of this, to me, this is working on a puzzle. There’s something about doing a puzzle that just brings me joy. And I want to make more of a habit of that. I want to find more time to just sit and allow myself to do something I truly love to do.

That’s another great way to really help reset after a long day. Do one of those things that light you up. You know what it is. You know the things that you get really giddy and excited about. The things that are in your DNA of who you were created to be. Find some time to do that. I guarantee it is a great, powerful, amazing way to reset after a long day. If you are looking for some inspiration on how to find more joy in your life, be sure to check out 11 Simple Ways to Find More Joy Now.

Tip #8 to Reset After a Long Day – Take a bubble bath

Number eight, this is also a really good one. Another great way to rewind and decompress at the end of the workday is to take a bubble bath. Yes! Run yourself a warm bath and add all the bubbles and the Epsom salt. Personally, I love the Dr. Teal’s bubble bath. They are my favorite with the essential oils in the soap. Additionally, you can read a book. Or light a candle. This is truly such a great way to elevate your own self-care!

Simply, just soak in the bubble bath, take some deep breaths, and not do anything else. Prioritize time for yourself and let yourself be relaxed and refreshed. Imagine that as the bubbles cover you, that you are being washed away. That all the big feelings, stresses and worries that you brought with you and carried with you all day long are being washed away.

#9 – Go to bed early 

The ninth way to reset after a long day of work, in order to take better care of yourself, as well as prioritize your own health and wellness, is to go to bed early. Seriously, this is one of the most effective ways to ensure you are providing yourself the reset that you need. Getting enough sleep is essential to not only taking care of your mental health, but also your physical health. Personally,  this is the one that I will do the most often of any on this list, and it is to go to bed early.

Prioritize Getting More Sleep

Spend personal time to yourself. Go to bed early, take a shower, get ready for bed. Then get cozy and comfortable. Climb into bed and get comfortable with your pillows and the sheets. Put your phone away. Close your eyes and deep breathe. Find that rhythm and let yourself get the rest that you need.

By going to bed early, not only are you pressing the reset button, but you also are going to have more energy. Furthermore, you will feel clear and with a fresh mind when you wake up tomorrow. Which, by the way, you’ll probably be able to wake up a lot easier and get that day going right after a long day because of prioritizing rest and getting more sleep.

#10 – Enjoy a favorite meal 

Finally, number ten. The tenth way to reset after a long, stressful day of work. Enjoy a favorite meal. This could be a comfort meal. Or something that you really love to cook or simply love to eat. But if you’ve had a really long day, sometimes you just need a favorite meal to allow you to find comfort in. Of course, we always enjoy picking up Chick-fil-a as our way to unwind if we’ve had a lot going on.

But you can also make something at home that is soothing to your soul. Or if you have a favorite recipe that you know is easy and quick, but so tasty, that’s another good way to reset. Never underestimate the power of a solid crockpot meal. Crockpot white chicken chili is always a winner in our household.

Check In on Yourself and Assess What It Is That You Really Need

Now, as mentioned, it is important to assess what it is that you need. Because if you are so exhausted and your day is so long, and you think to yourself, there’s no way that I want to cook anything. Then maybe pick something up on your way home or order something. That can be a way to reset after a long day. Or maybe you have been overstimulated all day and you really need minimal interaction with other people and you want to focus on going to bed early or you are in need of fresh air.

You know what you need truly. We all, in life, need to be more self aware of how we are feeling, of what’s causing us stress, of what’s causing our worries. It is so important to check in with ourself and model that for our whole family. Model that for the people around us to say, okay, let me check in with how things are going and assess and make decisions based on that. 

Bonus Tip to Reset After a Long Day – Quick & Simple Clean 

Now, I do have another one I wanted to add to this list as a little extra bonus. You might hear this and go, nope, absolutely not. Definitely not. But sometimes for me, depending on my mood, this is actually what I need to reset after a long day.

Sometimes all I need to do is either vacuum or sweep. We have two dogs, so dog hair galore everywhere. But sometimes, I need the physical act of cleaning something up or tidying up a space. Or physically getting rid of clutter and putting it away or putting trash away. Sometimes for me, I need that physical movement to clean up almost as if I’m taking the mess of the day and the mess of my emotions and sorting through it to put things back in order. In a way, I’m mentally putting things back in order, too.

The Importance of Resetting to Promote Healthier Work-Life Balance

So there you have it! Eleven ideas on the best things to do to reset after a long work day. And I hope that this brought you some inspiration, some encouragement, some motivation for how to handle those days when you just are done and you’ve had enough and you simply don’t want to do it anymore. Hopefully this gave you some inspiration and insight to really reset and continue to live out each day as your best day, no matter what may come your way. Thank you so much for being here. Cheering you on every single step of the way. Have the best day.