Most of us love nothing more than coming home from work to kick your feet up on the couch, pour a glass of wine, and lose yourself in mindless hours of TV until it’s time to call it a night. Some days all that gets me through the end of a long day at work or stressful situation is the thought of drinking wine with Olivia Pope (I love Scandal thanks to my sister).

However, there are some nights when I want to do other things and not get sucked into the black hole of the TV screen – as tempting and easy as that can be. I’ve been discovering a few new ways to unwind after work that are just as relaxing and more refreshing for mid-week slumps.

1. Write Thank You Notes

There’s nothing like a handwritten thank you note, and while it can be easy to put these off for the weekend pick up a pen and write them in the middle of the week. It’ll suddenly make your stresses of the day fade further back in your memory and bring forth the positives going on in your life and those around you!

2. Take up a creative hobby

I started doing calligraphy again about a year and a half ago, and I swear by it as the #1 way for me to de-stress after a long day. I put on some music, pull up Pinterest and practice. I’ll write song lyrics or just doodle names and within 5 minutes I’m in another world.. it’s the best. If you’re not much for drawing, you could take up a renovation project and work on it for a few hours each night. There are also just about a zillion true DIY projects out there!

3. Catch up with friends

These days, with FaceTime you can talk to just about anyone in the world and feel like you’re actually hanging out with them. I basically had dinner the other night with my sister, brother-in-law and nephew and shortly after caught up with one of my best friends for half an hour. It was a fun and more interactive way to spend a good chunk of time right after work, especially for those of you who live by yourself or have roommates or significant others that are gone a lot.

4. Get lost in Pinterest

I wish I had more time to spend getting inspired by others and just things going on in the world. I used to have a 5 minute post-work Pinterest rule of thumb when I lived in Chicago because visually it just takes your mind somewhere else and I find it really calming and inspiring. You can discover new places to travel, new recipes to try and ideas for changing up your living space.

5. Have a solo dance party

While this may seem counterintuitive to the concept of “unwinding”, you will just have to trust me on this one. Within minutes of walking in the door, turn on some music and let yourself loose to at least 2 full songs. It’s kind of the best thing ever and I think if you give it a real shot, you’ll thank me later.

Happy Tuesday!

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