Find friends outside of work

• You dread going to work in the morning.
• You show up late or find reasons to leave early.
• You feel bored or don’t want to engage with the work when you’re there.
• You’re complaining about work a lot.
• You check your work email first thing in the morning and before you go to bed.
• You plan all your vacations, so you are always available in case they suddenly need you.
• You’re having frequent work dreams and nightmares.

If your only friends are your friends at work, it'll be more challenging to avoid work on evenings and weekends. If you do have coworkers as close friends, consider setting some boundaries around work talk.

Try to avoid getting drawn into office drama, as it will increase the time you spend talking and thinking about work.

Speak up when your workload is too much. Tell your boss if you are stretched too thin or when you regularly work too many hours. Talk about what you can reasonably get done in a week.

Also, don't say yes to everything. If you have a hard time saying no, don't respond immediately. Instead say, "Let me get back to you", or, "Let me think about that."

• Use separate apps for work email and personal email so you don't accidentally look at work emails on your weekends.
• Move your email app into a harder-to-access folder so you don't open them out of habit.
• If you can't resist working in unscheduled hours, wait to send non-urgent emails until working hours.
• Inform your colleagues about your intention so they adjust their expectations.

If the nature of your industry is causing daily stress or you're putting in 80-hour weeks, and you still can't manage to complete your work, it might be worthwhile to change companies or careers. And that is fine.

Think about what you want your life to look like in a few years. Consider how you would feel if nothing changed.

After a productive and long day of work, remember to say yes to the activities that contribute to your overall well-being.

Eat something nourishing, move your body, do something relaxing to make you feel more human.