A Body Scan for the End of the Working Day

A body scan means moving your attention slowly through each part of your body in turn, noticing tension, temperature, and sensation without trying to change any of it. Used at the end of a working day, it draws a clearer line between work and the rest of your evening than simply closing a laptop does.

A 2019 study published in the journal Mindfulness had participants complete an eight-week body scan programme and measured stress hormones in hair samples, a marker that reflects stress over weeks rather than a single moment. The body scan group showed a meaningful decline in this longer-term stress marker, while a control group listening to an audiobook for the same amount of time did not.

Ten to fifteen minutes lying down or seated somewhere quiet is usually enough. It will not undo a genuinely difficult day, but it can stop the tension from that day carrying fully into the evening. If you drive home, the grounding practice for the drive home covers the same transition from behind the wheel.