How CEOs Unwind: 18 Ways to De-Stress After a Long Day

After a long day, I’ve learned that the hardest part isn’t the stress itself — it’s convincing your brain the day is actually over. CEOs tend to carry unfinished conversations, half-formed ideas, and random “what if we tried…” thoughts long after they close their laptop. If you don’t give your mind a clear exit ramp, it just keeps running.

One thing I started doing that sounds a little strange at first is what I call a “mental shutdown walk.” Before I relax, I go for a short walk — usually 15 or 20 minutes — but with a specific rule: I mentally narrate the day like I’m telling the story to someone else. Not analyzing it. Just recounting it.

“Alright, the morning started messy… we had a bug in the app… the support team handled it… then we had that unexpected partnership call…”

It’s surprisingly powerful. The brain likes stories with endings. When you retell the day as a narrative, it gives your mind closure. Otherwise your brain treats everything as an open tab that still needs attention.

The funny thing is, halfway through the walk the tone usually shifts. You start the walk replaying problems, but you often end it noticing things you’d normally miss — a small win, a clever comment from someone on the team, or a moment where a problem didn’t spiral the way it could have. It reframes the whole day.

By the time I get back home, the CEO version of me has basically clocked out. I’m not thinking about strategy decks or product roadmaps anymore. I’m just a person again.

It’s simple, but I think leaders underestimate how important a deliberate transition ritual is. Stress doesn’t disappear on its own — you have to give your mind permission to put the day on the shelf. That little storytelling walk is my way of doing it.

Cooking. Specifically, cooking something that requires enough focus that my brain cannot simultaneously solve a deployment issue or replay a difficult client conversation.

I picked this up about three years ago when I realised that scrolling my phone or watching TV after work was not actually helping me decompress. My mind would drift back to whatever was unresolved at the office. But chopping vegetables, monitoring heat, timing multiple dishes simultaneously – that demands a different kind of attention. It occupies the problem-solving part of my brain with something completely unrelated to software.

Most weeknights I spend about 40 minutes making dinner from scratch. Nothing fancy. A stir fry, pasta from scratch, or an Australian lamb roast on slower evenings. The physical act of working with my hands after a day of screens and strategy discussions creates a tangible boundary between work and home. I can feel the shift happen usually about 10 minutes in. My shoulders drop, my breathing changes, and by the time I sit down to eat, I am genuinely present with my family rather than mentally still in a meeting room.

The unexpected bonus is that it made me a better decision-maker the next morning. Something about giving your brain a complete context switch overnight means you return to problems with fresh perspective rather than the stale thinking that comes from never fully disconnecting.

The activity that helps me move into relaxation is a short review of one meaningful win and then I disconnect. I open a simple one page journal and write about the day in five short sentences. One sentence covers a decision I feel good about, another captures a lesson, and one mentions a person I want to thank. The final two sentences focus on things I choose not to carry into tomorrow so the mind can settle.

After writing, I send a quick note of appreciation to a teammate. This small act shifts the mood of the day from pressure to gratitude and closes work on a positive note. I then shut my laptop and place it in a drawer so the boundary feels real. That simple step signals that work is done and the evening now belongs to life outside the screen.

My go-to transition from work mode to relaxation is a 30-minute walk with my dogs — no phone, no podcast, just movement and fresh air. It sounds simple, but after spending all day in a high-stimulus environment (running an AI company means constant screen time, decisions, and context-switching), the physical act of walking in silence resets my nervous system in a way nothing else does.

Building PupPilot means I think about pets and their owners all day professionally. Walking my own dogs reconnects me to why this work matters on a personal level – happy, healthy animals with attentive owners. It’s a daily reminder of the mission behind the metrics.

I’ve also learned that unwinding isn’t just about relaxation, but it’s about creating space for creative thinking. Some of our best product ideas have come to me on these walks, when my mind finally has room to wander.

After a long day running our auto repair businesses, the way I unwind is pretty simple. I step out onto the balcony for a few minutes and take in the city lights.

My husband and I own two shops in the suburbs outside Houston, but we actually live in a high-rise downtown on the 24th floor. By the time we drive back into the city at night, the pace already starts to change. The shops are loud and busy all day with phones ringing, customers coming in, problems to solve. It probably sounds strange, but downtown feels quieter.

We have two balconies that are completely filled with plants. At this point they’ve taken on a life of their own and it honestly feels like a little jungle up there. I have a hammock chair that I love to stretch out in while I check on the plants, water them, and look out over the skyline.

It’s nothing fancy. It’s just a few quiet minutes after a day of constant decisions.

Earlier in our journey we didn’t really have that separation. We were so focused on building the business that we actually lived inside our auto repair shop for three years. Work and life were completely blended together.

Because of that experience, I make a point now of leaving the workday behind when we get home. Stepping onto the balcony, checking on the plants, and looking out over the city lights helps clear my head and reset before the next day begins.

As a former Firefighter and EMT now leading ProMD Health, I rely on sensory shifts to manage the high-stakes pressure of healthcare management. My clinical research background at Johns Hopkins taught me that physical “reset” triggers are vital for maintaining the mental clarity required for leadership.

I transition by volunteering at the Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter (BARCS) or working with the Calvert Animal Rescue. Immersing myself in animal welfare provides an immediate cortisol drop that balances the intensity of running a mission-driven, multi-location medical organization.

I make it a point to change into a rugged Carhartt work jacket before I start my shelter shifts to physically signal the move from the boardroom to the kennel. This gear change helps me shift from an executive mindset to a hands-on service mode where the focus is entirely on the animals’ well-being.

Engaging in this type of community service provides a necessary perspective shift that keeps professional stressors in check. I’ve found that dedicating time to vulnerable populations is the most effective way to sustain the energy needed to lead a rapidly growing company.

My favorite way to unwind after a demanding day is training. For me, workouts are non negotiable. Running a company means your head is constantly full. Metrics, decisions, conversations from earlier in the day, all of it tends to replay in your mind. If I go straight from that environment into the evening without a reset, the stress just carries over.

Training creates a clear transition. When I am in the gym, the focus shifts completely. Instead of thinking about CAC, product decisions, or team issues, I am focused on the physical effort in front of me. That intensity clears the mental noise.

What I have noticed over time is that it restores perspective. I might walk in still thinking about a difficult decision, but by the time I leave, my mind is calmer and the problem usually looks more manageable.

As a CEO, protecting that reset is important because your energy affects the people around you. If you carry stress into every conversation, the team feels it. Taking time to decompress allows me to come back the next day clearer and more focused.

My favorite way to unwind after a demanding day as a CEO is a short nervous-system reset, which is better than passive distraction. After back-to-back decisions and constant input, I’ve learned that simply closing the laptop doesn’t mean my body got the memo. The one activity that helps me transition is a brief vibration-based recovery session paired with quiet, low-stimulation time.

What I like about it is that it gives me a psychological off-ramp. A high-output day creates internal momentum; your body is still in “meeting mode” even when the meeting is over. If I calm the body first, the mind follows much faster.

The impact has been noticeable. I don’t carry the same edge into the evening, I’m more present with my family, and I sleep better.

My favorite way to unwind probably sounds like a contradiction: I build things. After a demanding day, I find myself drawn to technical projects that have nothing to do with the business itself. Right now, it’s exploring what generative AI can do in creative ways, experimenting with tools, seeing what’s possible. Most people would call that more work. For me, it’s the version of my brain that feels like play.

The shift isn’t about stopping. It’s about changing the stakes. When I’m building something for RallyUp, every decision carries weight. When I’m tinkering on a side project or exploring a new technology, there’s no pressure, no deadline, no one waiting on the outcome. That freedom is what resets me. The curiosity stays, but the tension drops.

Travel helps too, especially when I get to visit with customers or attend a gala for an organization we work with. There’s something grounding about being in the room with the people doing the actual work. It reminds me why we built what we built. Those moments pull me out of the day-to-day operational mindset and reconnect me to the mission.

The truth is, I’ve never been good at doing nothing. My brain doesn’t shut off that way. But I’ve learned the difference between effort that drains you and effort that fills you back up. Finding a problem that excites you, with no consequences if you fail, is the closest thing to rest I’ve found.

My favourite way to switch off is a quiet soak. Even 15 minutes helps me drop the mental noise and reset. The key is making it a clean break from work mode. Phone away, lights low, and just focus on breathing and letting the day go.

One activity that helps me transition from work mode to relaxation mode is reading. Reading is something that over my adult life I have come to love and appreciate more and more. Back in school, it felt like a chore, but now it’s something that I really enjoy, and it really helps relax me. I always read from physical books too instead of from a tablet. That way, when my work day ends, I am not continuing to spend my time staring at a screen. When I am caught up in a book, my mind isn’t stuck on the stress of the workday or the things I know I have to do at work tomorrow.

My favorite way to unwind after a long day is to reset my workspace so it stops pulling me back into tasks. I keep my desk as a complete loop of only what I can reach while seated, and I move things like my printer and packaging supplies to a table across the room. That simple change helps me avoid multitasking and reduces the urge to keep switching context. Once everything is put back in its place, it creates a clear mental boundary that the workday is over and it is time to relax.

Fresh air definitely helps me relax. I like to spend time in my backyard if I can, whether that be reading on my porch, playing yard games with my family, or just lounging. Being outside and breathing in fresh air is very grounding for me, and since it’s the complete opposite of working, it helps me feel solid separation from my job, which in turn helps me unwind well.

My favorite way to unwind after a demanding day is a short, deliberate ritual where I tell myself I have done enough for today. I spend a few minutes acknowledging what was completed and accepting that anything left undone does not need to be finished tonight. That conscious step gives me permission to stop thinking about work and to be present with other parts of my life. It reliably helps me transition from work mode to relaxation mode.

After a demanding day as CEO, my favorite way to unwind is to spend time in our atelier working with fabrics. Handling cloth and patterns lets me shift focus from meetings and metrics to the craft itself. That tactile work and attention to detail calm my mind and restore perspective. Being back with the team and the product helps me move from work mode to a more relaxed state.

Engaging in music as a creative pursuit offers significant benefits for executives looking to unwind and boost their creativity. Research shows that music can significantly reduce stress by lowering cortisol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate, which is particularly beneficial for those in high-pressure roles like CEOs. For instance, online music therapy interventions have led to notable decreases in perceived stress scores among managers facing uncertainty (Corporate Wellness Magazine).

In terms of creativity, music, especially happy or instrumental tracks, promotes divergent thinking and breaks mental barriers, aiding innovation in professional settings like brainstorming. Background music enhances cognitive flexibility and originality, with positive effects on executive function and problem-solving (One World IP).

Workplace applications of music include playlists, live events, and therapy for employee wellness, which boost mood, productivity, and collaboration. These benefits are particularly relevant to executives who need to maintain focus, energy, and a clear vision for the future (Radio Art).

Balancing the intensity of leadership with creative downtime through music is essential for maintaining focus, energy, and a clear vision for the future.

I like to get away. If it’s just for the evening on a weekday, I might do something like go for a long evening hike, or go out to dinner with friends, or go to a sports game. Something that gets me out of the house and completely out of work-mode. If it’s a Friday, I might try to spend the weekend at a rental property nearby for a mini staycation, or maybe I’ll go camping.

After a demanding day at Franzy, I step away from work completely. It’s amazing how much perspective changes when you stop staring at the problems. That time to decompress lets me process decisions more effectively and return ready to approach the next challenge with renewed focus.