That advice is about as useful to me as "you're depressed, so snap out of it!" I don't mean that as an attack, it's just that what is obvious to some people is very, very difficult for others to do so simply.
No, it's extremely useful, and no different than other people in the thread who express how exercise or hobbies have helped them cope with work stress. They're implying compartmentalization too, because having a hobby shows that there's more to life than work life.
You're right! I just didn't have the ability to see that. Thanks for your insights.
You can replace work thoughts with work on your sideproject thoughts. That helps... a little bit
Keep in mind that's not an option at every job.
In my case, not being able to leave work at work has been one of the factors in my decision to leave academia.
Easy to tell. If people who are hit by burnout could do it, they would have done it and wouldn't have been hit by burnout.
The only time I think about work is if I'm angry at someone. I never think about a tech problem at work in my spare time.