Oftentimes we feel in distress after a long day of work. And to be honest it is hard to not bring work home all the time and then when both entwine your home now becomes a work issue. This means your home becomes full of fictional issues full from anger and greed that was invested from work stress.
In the end, this means your work life balance isn't so balanced. I don't have to go over how it got this far. I am sure my opening sentence did that, but how do you end it? Most importantly how does this cater to mental health or your own self care?
That part is obvious, having an imbalance in work and personal life can cause depression. It can bring stress and anger, as well as unwanted issues. Again I am sounding repetitive. I know this, because I am one who is a workaholic. When I am not at an office job, I am at the craft office. Let's not forget that I am a mom of one, to some that's a job in itself (I no longer have that mentality) and my balance has always been entwined. But following the tips and tricks below I learned to be more at peace and be essentially happy.
For starters there is no "perfect" work life balance. Just like there is nothing exactly perfect in this world. So don't strive for a perfect schedule, strive for a realistic one. Try to find routine in your day, and set a schedule you can be flexible with. Some days your children will need you, some days most of your energy goes to work but remaining open to redirecting your needs instead of being frustrated creates a balance. Work creates a tunnel vision but be sure to create a time for family and fun. Be mindful that you don't want to lose yourself or your family due to never being present and living in the now with them.
Find a job you love, although it's not always an easy or ideal move. Your career shouldn't be restraining or hurting your mental health. You should do something you love and get paid for it. You also shouldn't work in a toxic environment or with a toxic person. This includes a job that jeopardizes your integrity and character. This creates a strain in your life and imbalances your energy. You tend to be flustered with annoying thoughts of hatred to your job and you won't focus on the core of your happiness. Apply to jobs that interest you, you may not get an interview on the first try but keep going. Find a workplace that allows you to be yourself and come to work day to day without more stress and worry than what the job itself entitles. You may have clients whom you can't avoid and are in fact a headache. But you understand that is something that comes with the job.
Prioritizing your health is another tip. Whether you like to admit it or not, so much stress and health complications could be avoided if you prioritize your physical, emotional and mental health. Some of our health complications come from stress itself, so organizing your life and setting up some sort of self discipline will eliminate that stress. This I promise you! We may not like to break a sweat and our laziness does get the best of us but we need to form some sort of physical health to help with our mental health. It is true that working out or even going for a walk alleviates some mental stress. You also do your best thinking when you are focused on something that is a physical distraction. Changing your eating habits is a must. It is proven that changing your eating habits also changes your mood. When you eat and look better, you feel better. I am not saying going on a full BBL transformation, but baby changes can make great impacts on how you feel and how you view yourself. For those happy in their own skin, that is a great feeling. However, it doesn't change that eating better does help clear your skin and change your mood. For example, eating greasy food tends to make you feel full and heavy. It feels like you are dragging yourself to finish the day.
So what does prioritizing your health have anything to do with a work life balance? With changing your health habits you change your energy. You become more energized to complete work tasks and make time for life adventures. You will become more enthusiastic to go on adventures and not just go under covers when you don't have work to do. You reduce stress and burnouts! This also means you'll have less sick days to balance more productive days whether it be productive work days or productive "Me days".
Although these are all great for a perfect work and life balance, I am a major advocate for self care. Don't be afraid to unplug! Taking time from work to recover from a week of stress is important. Find a set time to include decomposing in your schedule. This could be a meditation hour, a bubble bath, an hour of reading a book.
Be sure to leave work AT work! This includes leaving your emotional insights about work there too. Which I struggle with, I tend to come home and still be angry about something that caused it at work. This results in anger towards my partner and or child. Which isn't fair, safe or configures a work life balance. Setting boundaries and work hours is a perfect way to balance those emotions, and set time for your own mind to be at ease. Unplugging does not include making time for family fun. We need to create a time slot for our personal selves. While creating a time slot for family or friend fun, be present and create tunnel vision to only focus on that time with the ones who matter most.
These are basic tips to create a good work life balance to help your life beam with less stress. As a less percentage to fall in depression or grow bald quicker lol.
I hope these tips help you like they helped me!