There's often lots of chatter about morning habits and nighttime habits to incorporate into your life, especially around the start of a new year. Which, hey, it's totally fair to focus on the bookends of your day in this way! But afternoon habits can actually be the unsung heroes of creating a routine that does everything from genuinely energizing you to offering enough moments of self-care. It makes sense when you think about it: If you're already having a great day, your afternoon habits can help make sure you're setting yourself up to continue the good vibes well into nighttime. If, on the other hand, your day so far has been lackluster (or worse), having a solid set of afternoon habits may help you turn things around. (Though it's always okay to have a straight-up bad day and decide you'll give it another go tomorrow.)
Afternoon habits can be especially helpful for breaking up the workday into much more manageable chunks. Even if you genuinely love what you do, focusing on it all day can be mentally exhausting and straight-up stressful. Taking breaks in the form of revitalizing afternoon habits—even teensy ones—can be the energy shift you need. Personally, I’ve found that after sitting at a computer all day, my head starts to get fuzzy and my eyes have a hard time focusing on the screen by around 2 p.m. Words stop coming easily to me. I find myself scrolling on Twitter or Instagram and not actually doing the work that needs to get done. So, I take a break. Most days, that means going for a 30-minute walk around my town and maybe to the park. Other days, it means spending 15 minutes in my garden or fussing over my houseplants. I find that taking a total mental break from work and doing anything other than sitting down is exactly what my brain needs to reset. I always go back to my laptop with a clearer, more focused mind that’s ready to tackle the rest of the day.
Unsurprisingly, mental health experts tend to be huge fans of this kind of activity switching to refocus and re-energize. Dave Spiegel, M.D., associate chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, director of the Center on Stress and Health, and medical director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, refers to it as a “state change” because you’re actively switching your mental focus to something new. “State change is in itself refreshing. Changing mental states is a way of helping you not to feel so trapped in whatever the situation is,” he tells SELF, “because the same problem looks different when you’re in a different mental state.” Perhaps counterintuitively, if you're feeling anxious about something on your to-do list for the day, sometimes taking a break and looking at it again later will be much more helpful for productivity than just trying to power through.
Of course, sometimes you need a lot more than just a little afternoon gardening to get through a bad day. “There are times when you’re really distressed and not doing well and need to just survive in that moment,” Kaz Nelson, M.D., an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Minnesota Medical School, tells SELF. If you often find yourself feeling distressed and like you need better tools to handle that, it’s worth speaking with a therapist or other mental health professional to learn some tools to help you get through those difficult times. What we’re talking about here is more combatting that afternoon slump—when you feel tired, unfocused, overwhelmed, and want to clear your head and boost your mood to get through the rest of the day.
Next time you’re feeling that way, try adding one (or a few!) of these brilliant, energizing afternoon habits into your day. Some of them require more time, energy, and overall flexibility than others, so they might not all work for you depending on your exact work (and life) situation. But, hopefully, they provide a bit of inspiration for working your way out of that dreaded afternoon slump—or avoiding it entirely.
1. Take a few deep diaphragmatic breaths.
It's hard to blame you if you're sitting there thinking, Uh, how exactly is breathing—that thing I've already been doing all day to, um, survive—going to make a difference in my afternoon? The key is to focus on diaphragmatic breathing specifically. Your diaphragm is a muscle above your stomach, and it's the main muscle you use to breathe, the Cleveland Clinic explains. When you're anxious or rushed—like, say, before a tricky work meeting—your body's sympathetic nervous system can make you default to breathing in a fast, shallow way that doesn't rely enough on your diaphragm. This is part of your body's stress response. Focusing on deep breathing that intentionally loops in your diaphragm as much as possible activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which can help counter that stress response. This is why deep diaphragmatic breathing can be a grounding technique in anxious moments. Here are some helpful details on how to do this kind of breathing, along with some handy deep breathing videos you can even follow along with as needed.
2. Or try another grounding technique.
There are grounding techniques galore to choose from if you're in need of a soothing yet energizing midday break! Ultimately, the goal with grounding techniques is to find a low-lift habit that can center you without looming as another thing on your must-do list. So it should be something that actually feels doable even (or especially) in the hustle of a busy day and that is designed to really activate your all-important parasympathetic nervous system. This can go far beyond diaphragmatic breathing. Other options include touching something cold, tapping into your five senses with a very specific exercise, and doing progressive muscle relaxation. Here are a bunch of grounding technique ideas to try, along with detailed directions if you need them.
3. Read a chapter in a fiction book.
Madison D., 29, devotes 15 minutes of her lunch break to reading a fiction book. It usually helps her reset and clear her mind for the rest of the day. Reading a book—and completely immersing yourself in that fictional world—is a form of changing your mental state so that you can come back to the task at hand with a clear head. “Disconnecting, focusing on something else, and then re-engaging can pry you out of that state of being stuck or demoralized in dealing with what you’re dealing with,” Dr. Spiegel says. ”That act of getting disconnected and reconnected can reduce stress.”
4. Make an elaborate and visually appealing snack (charcuterie board, anyone?).
When Kelly O., 31, starts to hit the afternoon slump around 2 or 3 p.m., she whips up a charcuterie board. “It's way less fancy than it sounds, but it feels more elegant than Cheez -Its straight from the box,” she says. She includes things like pretzel chips, hummus, salami slices, cheese, sliced avocado, and whatever else is in the fridge. And then she takes the time to enjoy every bite. “I savor each little stack, and for a moment forget that it's month 16 of WFH during a global pandemic.” While the energy boost certainly doesn’t hurt, it’s also just something that Kelly looks forward to and enjoys during an otherwise-mundane workday. Here are some healthy, delicious snack ideas to get you started.
5. Take an organization break.
“Tidying or organizing the physical space around you might feel like a little thing, but it’s a way to physically and proactively attend to yourself and care for your space,” Dr. Nelson says. “Oftentimes, people put themselves last, particularly in the context of work, but pausing and attending to your immediate space is really saying, ‘My time and workspace are worth my attention.’” This can help put your mind at ease and improve your mood, Dr. Nelson says. “Organized” can mean something different to everyone—so you don’t have to go all Marie Kondo on your desk if that would stress you out instead of relax you. Whatever helps you feel a little more pulled together and focused is what matters.
6. Resist the urge to pound more coffee.
We know it sounds counterintuitive, but Dr. Nelson recommends avoiding turning to mood-altering substances—like caffeine—to power through a long, stressful afternoon. “The negative sides can supersede the immediate positive effects,” she says. A good example: You down a late-afternoon coffee, and now you can’t fall asleep when you try to get to bed because you’re too wired. Then you feel more on edge and stressed and overwhelmed the next day because you didn’t get a good night’s rest. Dr. Nelson suggests swapping that afternoon mug for a different beverage that you enjoy drinking and making that your new p.m. habit. For example, maybe it's sparkling water with lime if you’re after some zing, or an herbal tea if what you crave is a warm, nourishing liquid.
7. Have a “you can do it” hype session with someone you love.
Who better than the group chat to cheer you on so you can power through the rest of the afternoon? If you feel like you're dragging, and you have the kind of bond with someone you can ask for some energizing encouragement, go for it. Of course, this doesn't have to be a group chat with friends. It could be a one-on-one chat with a family member who always cheers you on or scrolling through your favorite affirmations-based Instagram account.
8. Watch a mindless 30-minute TV show.
Yes, we’re recommending TV in the middle of the workday if you can swing it. It can help you get a much-needed mental break the same way reading a good book can. Annie D., 36, opts for a show that’s only a half-hour episode and that will make her laugh. “Something mindless, like Friends or Younger, and the rule is only one episode,” she says. (Need some ideas? Check out one of these 17 shows that are delightful and distracting.)
9. Start and end your afternoon with transition rituals.
What is a transition ritual, you ask? Great question. “We spend our days transitioning between individual tasks and projects, and we also transition between larger blocks of time, like from our workday to personal time,” explained former SELF senior editor Anna Borges when writing about the beauty of transition rituals. “But what we don’t often realize is that we don’t always just bounce aimlessly from one thing to another. Instead, we sometimes mark transitions with little ‘rituals’ that signal to our brain it’s time to switch gears.” So, if you're moving from a certain type of task in the morning to another in the afternoon, transition rituals (whether it's moving your body, taking a coffee break, or something else) can make that shift easier.
“If this seems like a lot of fuss just to tell you to take a walk or meditate, you’re not wrong. The key is to be intentional about when and how you do these things,” Borges wrote. “Putting purpose and thought behind how we move from one thing to another—whether that’s starting, stopping, or switching between tasks—can put us in the right headspace to stay on track.” Here's more of her advice on creating transition rituals that work for you.
10. Take an actually energizing nap.
If you’re good at napping (so it won’t make you even groggier), make time for a short one midday. Amy K., 38, takes a very short nap in the afternoon. She times them to be 8 minutes and 13 seconds long, to be exact. “The 13 seconds gives me time to put my arms down after setting the time on my watch timer,” she says. Amy curls up on her recliner with a heating pad behind her and an electric blanket on too—"I’m basically in a cocoon.” She notes that the ritual of turning on the blankets and getting into her spot probably helps set the scene so her body and brain know it’s time for a quick snooze. Here’s exactly how to power nap so you wake up with more energy, not less—and so you don’t disturb your nighttime slumber, either.
11. Take a virtual workout class.
So many fitness studios and trainers now teach online classes—something that looks to be sticking around, in some capacity, for the foreseeable future, even as IRL classes start up again. Annie loves taking a dance workout class when she needs to clear her head and re-energize in the afternoon. “It always wakes me up because they play great music, like Radiohead, The Killers, and Neil Young,” Annie says. Most at-home fitness apps offer a variety of class lengths, so you can do just 10 minutes if you want—it’ll still effectively get your blood pumping and perk you up a bit so you’re ready to go for the rest of the day. “A few minutes of exercise makes a big difference [in relieving stress],” Dr. Spiegel says. Here are a few places to find this type of afternoon-ready workout:
- 16 Amazing Barre Workouts on YouTube, According to Instructors
- 13 Workout Programs and Fitness Apps That SELF Editors Love
- 20 Best YouTube Yoga Channels for When You Need Some Gentle Movement
- 22 Stretching Workouts on YouTube That Will Soothe Your Muscles and Loosen You Up
12. Go for a walk.
A walk break is a solid go-to for re-energizing and improving your mood in the afternoon. Shauna, H., 43, started walking a ton during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now it’s become a habit she’s keeping in her routine. “In the early pandemic days, it was partially to get out of the house and see other people and partially just to get my body moving without doing a workout necessarily,” she says. “I've always loved walking places and seeing life move around outside of my little bubble.” Shauna likes walking to the coffee shop, but walking to the park or just around your neighborhood is great too. Whatever gets you some fresh air, sun, and movement. Research overwhelmingly suggests that spending time outside is a great stress reliever and mood booster.
13. Have a midday dance party.
Rachel T., 37, says that she’s been taking afternoon breaks to blast music and have a one-person dance party since she was in college. “It’s very energizing and uplifting!” she says. There’s a reason it feels so good: Doing brief physical activity that lets you discharge some of the stress that’s built up physically will also help you feel relief psychologically, Dr. Spiegel says. So, put on whatever music gets you in the mood to dance, and spend a song or two just letting loose—dance like no one is watching and sing at the top of your lungs. Chances are, you’ll feel at least a little bit better after. And if you want something a little more structured and have some time on your hands, you can try these dance workout videos on YouTube so you can dive right into the fun without even needing to pick the music.
14. Or just listen to music that matches your mood.
“Music has the power to regulate emotion,” Dr. Nelson says. “Playing your favorite song or a song that’s stuck in your head can be a nice interlude [before your next task].” Also, the music doesn’t have to be upbeat and positive to be helpful. Dr. Nelson notes that for some people, playing music that matches your emotions can actually be more mood regulating than something that’s not a match.
You can also combine that emotional catharsis with some physical movement to get the best of both worlds. Annie says that sometimes, she goes for a walk and listens to music to give her brain a break: “Sometimes, podcast walks are too much for me when it’s a busy day because there's too much input and maybe it is related to work in some way. But music is my happy place and I don’t connect it to work at all, so I’ll just put on an album and walk.”
15. Express love or gratitude for something or someone.
Expressing your love or gratitude for someone or something can help with emotional regulation, Dr. Nelson says. It gets you thinking about the good things in your life and shifts your focus to something meaningful, which can be a great way of reminding yourself of the bigger picture beyond whatever boredom, chaos, or frustration is happening at work. As SELF has previously reported, gratitude has been shown to potentially improve well-being, happiness, life satisfaction, grateful mood, grateful disposition, positive affect, depression, optimism, and quality of relationships. You don’t necessarily have to make a grand gesture of love or gratitude—sending a loved one a text to tell them how much you appreciate them, writing a thinking-of-you card to a friend, or just quietly grounding yourself in gratitude for a moment all might do the trick.
16. Actively name your emotions.
“I recommend people pause to actually check in and name the emotion they’re feeling,” Dr. Nelson says. “It’s a really good habit to get into. There is an incredible mood-regulating power in naming emotions.” It could mean taking five minutes to write down how you feel in a journal, but if that’s not your thing, that’s cool too. “Set an alarm in your phone to prompt yourself to check in and label any emotions you’re feeling. They don't need to be written down, just name it,” Dr. Nelson says. This active naming of emotions can help you be more aware and in control of how you feel, so you can accept your emotions, address them with coping strategies if possible, and ideally not let them completely control and derail your day.
17. Actually schedule these breaks into your calendar.
Saying you’re going to take a walk break at 2 p.m. and actually doing it are two completely different things. Kerry P., 29, says she lives by her Google Calendar, and it helps her fit breaks into her busy day. As an experienced work-from-home pro, she suggests leaving the house once a day, even if it’s just for a coffee run or to walk your dog. She also recommends taking an actual factual lunch break—yes, meaning, get up from your computer and go eat lunch somewhere else if at all possible. She makes these breaks work by always scheduling them into her calendar like she would a work meeting. Remember, taking time to care for you and your mental health is a worthy workday task too.
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