To switch off from your day, the most useful thing is often a short routine that stays roughly the same, in three steps: a clear signal that work is over, a few minutes of movement, then a calm moment of your choosing. No need for an hour-long plan: ten to thirty minutes is enough to mark the transition.
Here's how to build it, and how to adapt it to what your body has been through during the day.
Why create a real transition after work?
When the workday carries on in your head (an email reread on the sofa, a task going round in circles), the evening no longer really works as a break. A 2017 meta-analysis that pooled results from nearly 40,000 employees found that people who manage to detach mentally from work outside working hours report, on average, less exhaustion and greater well-being. It also found that continuing to deal with work in the evening goes hand in hand with finding it harder to switch off.
These are associations, of moderate size, not a guaranteed recipe. But they support a simple idea: the evening starts more easily when you clearly mark the end of the day.
Step 1: close the door on your workday
The aim is to give a clear signal, always the same one:
- close your laptop and, if you work from home, put your workstation away or at least cover it;
- turn off work notifications for the evening;
- jot down the two or three things to do tomorrow on paper, so you don't have to keep them in your head;
- change your clothes, wash your hands or take a shower: a physical gesture that marks the shift.
If you're coming home from outside, the journey can already play this role: a few minutes without your phone, looking around you, are better than carrying on reading your messages.
Step 2: move a little
After a day of sitting, a few minutes of movement help you change pace: a ten-minute walk, going up and down the stairs, a few gentle shoulder and back movements. This isn't a workout. The World Health Organization simply points out that it's better to be more active and less sedentary, and that any activity is better than none.
After a day on your feet or a physical day, this time can instead be calmer: sit down, raise your legs a little, stretch gently.
Step 3: choose a calm moment
Choose an activity that keeps you pleasantly occupied without taking you back to work: reading a few pages, listening to music, cooking without rushing, calling someone close to you, a bit of DIY, drawing. Talking to someone about your day is part of the advice from the UK's National Health Service (NHS) when stress builds up.
If you like breathing exercises, the NHS suggests a very simple one: breathe slowly, letting your belly rise, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, counting to five each time, for at least five minutes.
Two common traps: going back to your emails "just to check", and relying on alcohol to unwind, which the NHS advises against. A calm evening routine can also mark a transition before bedtime, without expecting more from it. For where to take this moment, see how to create a relaxation corner at home.
What if one part of your body worked particularly hard?
The calm moment can be adapted to what the day demanded:
- a day on your feet: see our routine for tired feet;
- a day sitting in front of a screen: see our routine to relax your neck and shoulders;
- a workout or a physical day: see what to do when your muscles are tired after exercise.
Some people also like to spend a few minutes with a massage device during this moment. Komua massage devices are each designed for one area: use them as a moment of relaxation, not as a treatment.
Build a routine that stays realistic
A useful routine is one you repeat. Three simple steps, in the same order every evening, are better than an ambitious plan abandoned after a week. The NHS also advises against trying to do everything at once.
An example, to adapt to your schedule:
- Close your laptop and jot down tomorrow's tasks (2 minutes).
- Change your clothes (2 minutes).
- Walk or move gently (10 minutes).
- A calm moment: reading, music, a call, or a few minutes for the area that worked hardest (15 minutes).
On busy evenings, keep at least the first step: it's the one that marks the break.
When fatigue or stress doesn't ease
An evening routine helps you plan your downtime; it doesn't replace professional support. Talk to your doctor if you're struggling to cope with stress, if what you've tried isn't enough, or if unusual fatigue persists despite rest.
If you are in distress or having suicidal thoughts, contact a suicide prevention helpline in your country without delay, or call your local emergency number in an emergency.
