How to leave work at work: A guide for care home activity coordinators

If you’ve ever caught yourself planning next week’s Cheese & Wine evening while loading the dishwasher, you’ll know just how easily work can spill into home life. For many care home activity coordinators, the line between work and home can start to blur especially when the emotional investment in your work is part of what makes you so good at it.

But constantly carrying work home in your head (and heart) isn’t sustainable. It can lead to stress, exhaustion, and burnout.

So how do you switch off when your work is so emotionally invested?

Let’s take a look through the lens of Sarah, our ever-capable, sometimes-overwhelmed activity coordinator.

Sarah is juggling a busy life - she’s got two children, a dog who needs his evening walk, a cat who insists on being fed right now, and a partner who also works full-time. She’s passionate about her job, but admits that she struggles to leave it at the door.

Sound familiar?

When you’re constantly on the go, giving your energy to others, it’s easy to let your own wellbeing slide. But the truth is: you can’t pour from an empty cup (you knew that was coming, right?).

Here are some realistic, doable ways Sarah (and you) can start drawing those healthy lines between work and home.

1. Create a “Work Ends Here” Ritual

Washing your hands before you leave the building, something you already do, can become a quiet ritual to symbolically wash away the day.

Try saying a mantra as you wash (“Work is done. Now I rest.”), this small symbolic act will help signal to your brain that your workday is complete.

Even something as simple as saying to yourself, “That’s enough for today,” as you walk to your car can set a healthy boundary.

Sarah pops on her favourite playlist and takes the long way home, giving her space to mentally reset before stepping back into “mum mode.”

2. Build a Buffer Zone with Movement

Care home activity coordinator enjoying work-life balance

A short walk with the dog is more than just a task, it’s a transition.

Walking, especially outdoors, helps clear the head and shift your focus. It’s a moment for you, not your to-do list.

Sarah often uses this time to let go of any stress and focus on what’s in front of her; the steady rhythm of paws on pavement, the tug of the lead, and the calm of being outdoors.

3. Switch Gears with a Simple Task

Feeding the cat. Putting the kettle on. Helping with homework. These small home-based routines are grounding.

They pull your attention gently back into your personal world.

Sarah says her cat has no concept of staff shortages or care planning. He just wants dinner. Right now.

And that helps her stay in the present.

4. Set a “No Work Talk” Time

Switching off after work as an activity coordinator

After dinner, Sarah sets her phone on “Do Not Disturb,” puts her planner away, and gives herself permission to stop thinking about work.

Even 30 minutes of full mental disconnection can make a difference.

If work thoughts pop up, she jots them in a notebook to look at tomorrow - not tonight.

5. Create a Bedtime Wind-Down

No emails. No Facebook group scrolling.

Just a cup of tea, a good book, or even a little guided breathing before bed.

Sarah finds that ending her day with something calming helps her sleep better and that gives her more energy for the next day’s challenges and joys.

6. Remember: You’re Allowed to Switch Off

You might be the emotional glue that holds your care home’s wellbeing together, but you’re not a machine.

Your care is most effective when it’s replenished regularly.

Sarah’s learning (just like you might be) that taking care of herself is not selfish

- it’s essential.

Finding balance is never about perfection, it’s about paying attention.

If your days feel like a constant juggle, start with one small shift this week.

Maybe it’s the dog walk, maybe it’s a stricter end-of-day routine, maybe it’s just giving yourself permission to say, “I’ve done enough today.”

Because you really have.

Which one of these ideas will you try this week?

Pop over to the Care Home Activities Matter Facebook group and let us know, send me an email or simply drop your comment in the box below.

I always love to hear how you’re getting on.

Cheering you on always,

Caroline

🫖🖐💚🫖