How To Find A Work-Life Balance In A Busy World

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Nowadays, for many people, the pursuit of a healthy work-life balance seems like a hopeless dream. Juggling between heavy workloads, family responsibilities, managing relationships, and squeezing in outside interests – it’s no surprise that our day-to-day life is getting busier. However, work usually takes precedence over everything else in life as a desire to succeed professionally can push people to set aside their own wellness.

So, how can you show great results at work and feel like you are living a balanced, well-rounded, and productive lifestyle? When it comes to balancing professional and personal lives, there are some ways to separate these two worlds. Creating a harmonious work-life balance can not only improve your physical, emotional, and mental well-being, but it’s also crucial for your career.  When employees are balanced and happy, they are more productive and forced, less prone to stress and burnout, take fewer sick days, and are more likely to stay in their positions. Here are a few practical steps on how to loosen the grip that stress has on you, win back the balance, and stay at the top of your game, both professionally and personally.

Don’t Work After Work!

Most individuals stay late working or carry their work home to make up for the deadlines or when they aren’t doing anything in the evening. The inability to leave work during off-hours hinders the amount of rest needed for each employee and might lead to burnout. Moreover, it contributes to a social imbalance in life by creating barriers, meaning you aren’t able to give time to your family members, friends, miss out on occasions, or have less interpersonal communication.

In case you feel yourself extending your work hours, make sure to adopt a strict “Don’t Work After Work” policy. When you end your workday, avoid thinking about upcoming projects or answering work-related emails. Instead try to tell yourself it’s time to put work away, recharge, rest, and start the new workday with a fresh mind. 

Additionally, set boundaries for yourself and your colleagues beyond which you can’t be accessible as you are engaged in personal activities. Consider having a separate phone or computer to create work limits, so you can unplug when you are at home. If that isn’t possible, use different browsers or filters for your private and work platforms.

Structure Your Work Day & Environment

Being self-employed, working remotely, or just sticking to perfectionism can make it infinitely harder to separate yourself from your work. The best advice is to set up a desk space that is nice to use and to avoid sitting on sofas and beds with your laptop on your lap. The issue with this is that your brain can’t decide whether you are relaxing or concentrating and leads to more procrastination. 

Another self-employment issue is that there are no defined times where you should or should not be working, which in theory sounds great! You can work WHENEVER you want with no restrictions. But routine is vital for mental well-being and without it can be difficult not to do work all the time to the point of burnout. In case you are working for yourself, try to stick to the traditional 9 to 5 working hours with an hour lunch break as it means you are waking up at a consistently good time, and many other businesses and such work on these times. You could also take a look at a federal holidays list to see when those working a more traditional job might have a holiday, and allow yourself the same holiday so that you get a little break from work, and can celebrate with others. 

Relax In The Evening

While a job is an essential part of your life, it shouldn’t be your entire day and life. Just because work requires most of your time and keeps you busy doesn’t mean you should refrain from personal relationships and activities you love. No matter how hectic your schedule can be, you should prioritize activities or hobbies that make you happy. 

Put aside an hour on your schedule for an activity that you will look forward to each day, such as reading a book, taking a walk, spending time doing your hobby, or just being alone. You can also book some time to have a massage, play tennis or ride a bike with a friend. Or maybe you want to see more music artists with your friends, starting with country/folk with Morgan Wallen (check out tickets here) – whatever you might find interesting and suitable, give it a go. By making time for something you love, you will restore energy and refresh your mind as well as enable you to nurture the creative thought that is essential for every employee. Furthermore, if it is legal in your country, it may be worth recommending kratom to your employees, as it is documented that it can help you in restoring energy and refreshing your mind. If you’re not sure where to look, you could start with kratom.org or somewhere similar.

What’s more, consider creating a calendar for romantic and family dates or meetings with friends. It might seem weird to plan one-on-one time with someone you live with, but creating a schedule will ensure that you spend quality time with your close one without work-life conflict. 

Stay In Touch

There are times where sometimes all we need is to talk to an old friend and catch up. We are making it habitual to instant message our close network of friends but what is Rebecca from school up to nowadays? Calling a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while and speaking to someone who isn’t a part of your everyday life can give you perspective on your situation. What’s more, most of the time, those who aren’t entirely involved in your life have the best advice. 

We get so stuck in our routine sometimes it can be draining in of itself, and talking to someone new every once in a while is a great way to break up that routine. It’s easy to isolate yourself within your structured life of work and home but breaking out of that can lift your mood and brighten up your evenings.

Exercise & Meditate

When our calendars fill up, one of the most crucial needs is to maintain regular physical activity. Exercise is an effective method to reduce stress as it delivers feel-good endorphins through the body, which in turn lift your mood and helps to release some of the stress that is accumulating inside. The less stress you feel, the more enjoyable you will find your office or home. Working out also helps to boost your self-efficacy, the confidence you have to complete essential tasks, and master any challenges.

Make time in your schedule each week for self-care, whether it’s gym session, yoga practice, or meditation. If you are really pressed for time, try to start small with replacing drinking alcohol with a healthier form of stress decrease, sustaining a well-balanced diet, practising deep breathing exercises during your commute, and a quick meditation in the morning and before bedtime. Short, meditative exercises like grounding your senses in your present surroundings or deep breathing require a minor effort but offer major dividences. Those activities can help to relieve stress, improve your concentration, function better, and distract your mind from work problems.

Prioritise Your Health

Your general physical, mental, and emotional health should be your main concern and priority. Taking care of your health first and foremost will make you a better employee and person, meaning you will be a happier and more productive worker that misses less work. 

If you struggle with anxiety, stress, or depression, are persistently overwhelmed and think about therapy, include those sessions into your schedule, even if you need to leave work early. If you are struggling with chronic illness, don’t be afraid to take a sick day, especially on rough workdays. Overworking yourself prevents you from proper rest and getting better, which might encourage you to take more days off in the future. 

Try Out CBD Oil

Many people prefer to use natural solutions like CBD to ease anxiety, low mood, and even those headaches you get from staring at the computer screen all day. What’s more, CBD oil benefits include regulation of sleep, reduction of pain and chronic aches, a boost of the immune system, among other useful functions. 

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a non-addictive, non-psychoactive, and naturally-occurring compound obtained from Cannabis Sativa plants. CBD is proven to indirectly influence and support the endocannabinoid system of the body that is involved in vital processes such as sleep, pain, stress, inflammation, immune system, temperature, memory, etc. When all functions of an organism are in balance, you can enjoy stress-, discomfort-, and pain-free life, good quality sleep, and experience better productivity and concentration.

If you find it hard to relax, CBD oil is a great and effective way to unwind, reduce stress levels, improve your focus, mood, and energy. However, if your issues with work go even deeper than being unable to relax, going to the doctors or seeking therapy are valid options for a stressful professional life. Hopefully, soon we’ll all be masters of the work-life balance.

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