POLOKWANE – Keeping the stress away from home it is never an easy thing to do but sometimes we do it without realizing, says local relationship councilor, Johannah Letsoalo.

“Work may be stressful, but when we’re supposed to be relaxing, from the minute we walk out of the office until the next morning when we come back, we often let job stress seep in instead of making the most of our non-work lives,”

She said that there are many reasons why people do this, but there are more important reasons why people should learn to stop.

She added that she found in the three years she has been in relationship counseling, it is one of the main reasons why relationships break down.

Letsoalo said that people take work home when they think about it while driving home, replaying frustrations in their minds, and think about everything that’s weighing on their shoulders.

“The problem is that this can magnify stress levels so that they are even higher after the driving home, than they were at the end of the workday,” she said.

Venting to loved one’s becomes a common pastime, but may take a toll over time.

“Facts are, the less time we can spend complaining about work, the more time we’ll have focused on things that make us happy. Try to notice how much time you spend complaining about work and see if this is the right amount of time for you,” she suggests.

Letsoalo says that people worry about work instead of relaxing.

However, if you find yourself stressing over problems at work, it’s best to leave that burden at work.

Here are some tips on how to leave job stress at work:

1. Tie up loose ends before you leave
2. To cut down on after-hours troubleshooting, prepare a to-do list for yourself when you get back the next day.
3. If you are prone to stressing about unsolved problems when you get home, you may even take it a step further and create a list of possible solutions to any issues you think may follow you home.
4. Create a post-work ritual, having a post-work ritual is a great way to help yourself unwind after a stressful day of work.

Make your non-work time count.

“One of the most fun and effective ways to leave job stress on the job is to really focus on making the rest of your life something worthy of your attention and engaging enough to take your mind off of stress if you need it to. It also means spending quality time with people that you care for and that care for you,” Letsoalo said.

riana@nmgroup.co.za