Work Life Balance and Why it Matters

This month, we’re focusing on the importance of maintaining a healthy work life balance. If you’re not sure what work life balance is, let’s start by defining that phrase. 

The phrase “work life balance” is simply the act of maintaining healthy boundaries between your professional and personal lives.

While this may seem like an easy task for some, there is a large population of adults who struggle with this concept. Many of us fail to prevent our professional lives from interfering with our personal lives, and vice versa. Contrary to popular belief, it is not just being “overworked,” or not having enough time in the day. It can just as often be allowing our personal lives to overshadow our professional lives in an unhealthy way. Most of us struggle to feel fulfilled just at home, or solely at work.When we fail to address this, we find ourselves overwhelmed in both areas, making our at work and at home experiences less fulfilling than they could be. In a study held by HRD (Human Resources Director), 7 out of 10 professional adults reported not being able to separate the two; resulting in burnout (for more information on burnout, visit last month’s blog (https://wellnesspsychologicalservices.com/what-is-burnout-and-how-to-recognize-it/) This is dangerous because it presents a skewed version of reality, and is impossible to maintain long term without negative, and sometimes irreversible, consequences. 

Professional burnout occurs when an individual’s lack of separation between their work and private lives occurs, leading to what feels like an unmanageable workload. This also often leaves one falling short in their personal lives. Similarly, there are others whose personal lives are so wracked with chaos that it carries into their professional lives, leading to poor performance at work, and a strained relationship with co-workers, employers, and employees. 

If this was a struggle prior to the pandemic, it’s become even more of one since remote working became a reality for such a large part of the population. While remote work has many advantages, it oftentimes leads to blurred lines between our professional and personal lives. While the convenience of working remotely provides an opportunity for us to complete our professional tasks from home, it can also make it harder to separate what needs to be done at work from what we should be focusing on at home. While the convenience is needed, it can also be detrimental to our ability to take off our “professional hat” to focus adequately on our families, our personal lives, and our own self care. While it may seem harmless to respond to “one last email,” or attend to “one more thing” at work outside of our work hours, these instances tend to pile up and have an erratic effect in our roles both at work and at home. 

QUESTIONS TO ASSESS YOUR BALANCE

If you’re not sure if you have a good handle on your work life balance, try asking yourself these five questions:

1. When is the last time you felt enjoyment in your life; professionally or personally? If you can’t recall a time that you found joy in your day to day activities, it may be because you’re struggling to find the balance you need. When we have a good work life balance, we are able to find fulfillment and joy in every area of our lives, more often than not. 
2. Do you constantly feel tired, no matter how much sleep you get? Overextending yourself mentally in either area can lead to chronic fatigue. Many people don’t realize the physical toll this type of mental exhaustion can take on our bodies and our physical health. It’s incredibly important to monitor this, and make adjustments accordingly. 
3. Do you feel overwhelmed more often than not? If you find yourself unable to complete basic tasks at work because of whatever is going on in your personal life, or you find yourself feeling anxiety about dropping the ball at home, it could be because you don’t have the balance you need to feel successful in either area. When we have a healthy work life balance, we’re able to set and complete clear goals in both our professional and personal lives, even when things are more stressful than usual. If the slightest sign of chaos sends us spiraling, then it’s time to address the issue and make significant changes. 
4. When is the last time you were able to truly set down your phone and focus on other activities without it? If you find yourself constantly glued to the messages and calls coming through your screen, it might be because you can’t find peace in letting those things go long enough to enjoy other activities. This is a telltale sign of being hyper focused on work, and lacking in your personal life. Or, you could be using your phone as a distraction from both your personal and professional lives. It’s sometimes easier to try to ignore both, and many of us use things like social media and mindless scrolling to distract ourselves from the bigger issues. 
5. Do you feel like nothing you do is good enough? If you find yourself struggling to find a sense of accomplishment at work or at home, it could be because you’re spread too thin in one or even both areas. It’s important to remember that every time we say “yes” to one thing, it requires saying “no” to something else. It’s simply not realistic to say yes to everything that’s asked of us. Prioritizing which things to say yes to can be a struggle for many, and when we fail to do that well, it can leave us feeling inadequate in multiple areas or our lives, leading to increased anxiety, stress, or even depression. 

If, while reading this blog, you identify with even a couple of these questions, then it’s likely time to dive into what the root of the issue is. In our next blog article, we’ll go over the dangers of a skewed work life balance, and what we can do to overcome it. 

Are you ready to get started? If you feel like you need some help addressing these questions and how to work through them then please consider seeing a therapist to help support you through it. Contact us today for a new patient appointment and to get matched with the right therapist who is the best fit for you!