My way home from work helps me to switch off.

From St. Oberholz I can take the U2 or U8 to Alexanderplatz and from there take the U5 to Friedrichshain. If the connection is right, I might need 25 minutes to get home. Sometimes that’s just too fast for me.

I have noticed that I arrive more relaxed if I take a longer way home. That’s why sometimes I take the tram to Lichtenberg, and from there I take another tram to Friedrichshain. This takes about 45 minutes.

Where I learned to switch off.

In October and November, I drove almost daily from Berlin to Frankfurt (Oder). We founded the BLOK O, together with Sparda-Bank, there. The ride with the train takes about 50 minutes.

In Frankfurt (Oder) I had to walk a few minutes to the Coworking Space. But that is always a lovely experience. Especially walking through the Lenné Park is a highlight and my insider tip for tourists.

This time for me always did me right. Nobody wanted to talk to me about the work, I could just switch off. Sometimes I listened to music, from time to time I watched a series on the iPad or just read a book.

In a German-language article I read that according to Tim Hagemann, professor of work psychology in Bielefeld, personal rituals are also needed to switch off. They should last at least 30 minutes.

How do you switch off?

The tram and train ride, as well as the walk through the Lenné Park, are great solutions to switch off for me. They even last longer than half an hour. But they also help me to switch off in a different way.

Walking through this beautiful park and looking out of the window on the train or tram, activates my head cinema. I can lose my view in the distance, think about striking buildings or the beautiful nature.

After a working day you switch off in a completely different way if you can see the sea, or at least the Oder river. For me, the way home is an important strategy to relax. What is it for you? How do you relax?

All Images: Tobias Kremkau, Frankfurt (Oder) 2018