🌿 Friday Health & Wellness

Self-Care After a Stressful Day at Work

I’m pretty good at not talking about work unless there’s something I need to process.

And if I need to process it?

It’s because I’m trying to understand the why.

Now that I work from home, I’m on the phone for several surgeons’ offices. I use my voice intentionally. I know how to stay calm. I know how to steady a conversation. That’s training — and that’s upbringing.

But let’s be honest.

Some calls are challenging.

Especially when I can’t transfer the patient to the person who can best help them. When I’m the buffer. When I’m the one holding the uncertainty.

I’ve learned to accept that all I can do… is all I can do.

Still, some calls are heavier. And those take a little more effort to put behind me.

So I started thinking…

What does self-care really look like after a stressful day?

Not bubble baths and clichés.

Real-life nervous system reset.

Here’s what works — for me and for many people backed by research from organizations like the NIH and the American Psychological Association:

🧠 1. Create a Clear Transition

Your brain needs a signal that work is done.

• Change clothes immediately

• Step outside for fresh air

• Sit quietly for 10–15 minutes before doing anything else

That small buffer tells your nervous system: You’re safe now.

🚿 2. Reset the Body

Stress isn’t just mental. It sits in the muscles.

• Warm shower or bath

• Gentle stretching

• A short walk

• Even washing your face with cool water

Movement releases cortisol. Warm water releases tension. It’s simple — but it works.

✍🏽 3. Get It Out of Your Head

If something lingers, write it down.

Not to relive it — but to release it.

A quick journal entry. A brain dump. A sentence that says,

“This bothered me because…”

Once it’s on paper, it doesn’t have to stay in your chest.

🌻 4. Ground Yourself in the Present

One technique I like is the 5-4-3-2-1 method:

5 things you see

4 things you feel

3 things you hear

2 things you smell

1 thing you taste

It brings you back to the room you’re actually in — not the call you just finished.

🚫 5. What Not To Do

• Don’t doomscroll

• Don’t replay the call over and over

• Don’t use alcohol to numb it

Processing is healthy. Ruminating is exhausting.

For me, self-care sometimes looks like:

Coffee in my tower.

A few quiet minutes.

Watching the sky change.

Letting my body settle.

I don’t carry every call home.

But I do respect when something needs a moment.

All I can do… is all I can do.

And that’s enough.

Now I’d love to know —

What does self-care look like for you after a stressful day?

— Lady Flava 🌻