Why you should be practising self-care after you have been to work…
Do you feel exhausted when you return home from work, and you really just don’t want to do anything? Then feel bad about not doing anything to look after yourself? Keep reading.
After the weekend, or when you have been off work for a long period of time (COVID-19 pandemic) it is important to keep on looking after yourself and not letting your work-life take over your whole life.
So here is a blog post about the ways you can practice self-care after work and how to not just fall into a cycle of work-eat-sleep-repeat.

Practising Self-Care – Create a Routine
First things first, you are going to want to create some sort of routine depending on what your work hours are.
For example, if you work 9-5 every day this is an easier task… If you work different shift patterns, then you may need to create a couple of different self-care routines.
So, establish what time of the day it is you will be practising your self-care.
Will it be in the morning, middle of the day, or the evening?
Here are a few things you could do during different times of the day depending on the schedule you have;
Morning
If you have time in the morning because you don’t start work till later on in the day, then you could get a few of the following things done.
The morning is a great time to be productive or chill out.
So choose wisely depending on what you need to get done. If you have jobs you need to do around the house, schedule them in.
You will feel better coming home later on!
- Wake up slightly earlier to make a healthy breakfast.
- Spend some time doing a skincare routine.
- Practise yoga, or stretches.
- Or tick some jobs off your list to give peace of mind.
- Write a daily plan and affirmations in the journal.
- Tidy your space, do the washing, anything to clear your mind…
- Prepare everything you need for the day.
Mid-Day
Sometimes this can feel like a really weird time to do things, especially if you have come home from a morning shift, or if you’re getting ready to go to work at night.
Either way, use the middle of the day to do things that feel normal, and don’t waste your time.
- Shower or bath after work, listen to some music.
- Have some lunch or meet friends for lunch!
- Go for a run or walk.
- Spend some time reading or doing the hobby you never have time to do.
- Tidy your space (bedroom/house)
- Watch your favourite show
- Write down tomorrows to do.
Evening
This is the time of the day that I will be practising self-care. I think a lot of people usually come home in the evenings and spend their time getting ready for the next day or rushing in the slouch on the sofa (there is no problem in that if that’s what you need to do!)
- Have dinner after work, hydrate yourself too!
- If you have time, squeeze in a 15-minute workout.
- OR, see friends and family.
- Take a bath/shower
- Moisturise! Paint nails, pluck hairs… Whatever you want to do!
- Get things ready for tomorrow (lunch, clothes).
- Read something inspirational

Self-Care You Already Do
You are probably looking at the lists above and thinking, “but I already do those things?” Yes, you probably do! Therefore, you are already practising self-care every day, and every time you come home from work. All you need to do is be more mindful within the process and be aware in the moment of what it is you are doing and how you are caring for yourself.
When you make your dinner, listen to music in the background, have a little dance. Create a new meal that is not only healthy but completely different from what you would normally make after work. Spend more time doing the little things you didn’t even realise were part of your normal self-care routine anyway.
Having a bath or shower after work to wash the day away is another form of self-care I am sure you practise every day too. So, be mindful in the process and combine just having a shower with a bit of self-care and self-love. Use a new shower gel, wash your hair, scrub your body with that nice coffee stuff I really want to try…
So, as you can see, you are already practising self-care after work anyway. Basically, all you need to do is enhance these little normal every day things you do to make them more fun and more worth it!

Keeping it Up!
Finally, all you need to do is keep it up. Easier said than done, right?
Think of all the reasons why you might want to keep up a self-care activity you have started. For example, if you have noticed a difference in your physical health, then keep eating well and exercising. If you are feeling calmer and more positive, keep reading those self-help books and journaling!
There are so many reasons why you should continue doing these things, because overall, they better yourself, and who doesn’t want to be better?
Some of the things you can do to hold yourself accountable to practising self-care are;
- Log it in a journal – Create either a habit tracker, or write things down as tasks.
- Create reminders on your phone.
- Reward yourself when you have finished a book or reached goal through self-care.
- Write down how you feel before your practice, and after. Keep doing this to motivate yourself.
You can change your routine around until you have found what works for you. The main thing to do once you are home from work is to try and stay motivated to care for yourself even when you really just want to get in bed and sleep until the next day…
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Thank you for reading this post, here are some others that also talk about self-care;
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5 Comments
Alexandria Rae
18/06/2020 at 12:12 PMgreat read especially during the current times, i’ve recently started practising yoga more regularly and have found it to be the perfect way of unwinding at the end of the day x
Ella
29/06/2020 at 1:57 PMJust discovered your blog and it has really inspired me to write more blog posts for mine!x
Liz Hartley
10/07/2020 at 5:51 PMI love this! I do shift work so it changes often when I have time to myself. I love taking time alone in the morning to have a coffee and do some journalling, but the evening is probably my favourite time to relax and have a bath and read!
Charlotte Dawson
11/07/2020 at 9:42 AMI love having some extra time in the morning too!
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