Work Life Balance

Do you understand the importance of moderation? Moderation is an important part of life and without it we can become obsessed with something that was initially harmless. These things can take over parts of our lives that should be reserved. Things like family dinners and spending quality time with your spouse or children can quickly take a back seat to work.

It can take over your entire life, take precedence over family and friends and turn you into a slave. The difficulty in identifying work as only a part of your life is that most people initially work to support their families. People start working because they love their families and they want to provide for them. This fact can easily blind a person and help them justify why they work 60 or 70 hours a week. Make no mistake though; it’s still harmful to a person’s health and well being. Not being able to say no to a boss is a dangerous thing and it doesn’t just hurt the person working. A person’s family and friends suffer as well.

According to Wikipedia “Seventy-five to ninety percent of physician visits are related to stress and, according to the American Institute of Stress, the cost to industry has been estimated at $200 billion-$300 billion a year”. A good balance between working hard and spending time with loved ones is an essential part of a healthy life. When you pass away someday, people will speak about you at your funeral or wake. They probably won’t say “I love how much money he made, I’m really going to miss him!” They will talk about the times you spent with your family and the fun things you did together. People should provide for their families, but they should never underestimate how important it is to spend time with the ones who love them.

There are both physical and emotional signs of an unhealthy work/life balance. They may not always be easy to recognize but it is important to know what they are. One of the most obvious signs is when all you think about is work. It is something you sleep/eat/breathe 24/7. I know in this technological world, it is easy to fall in this trap. We are tied at the hip to our laptops, cell phones, and blackberries.

Sometimes it is the physical symptoms that we notice such as headaches, trouble sleeping or all over tension. For some people they notice that they dread going to work or they do not get any satisfaction from completing their tasks at work. For many, work consumes their everyday life. They work for a company that states they have a work/life balance but they receive phone calls and e-mails at all hours. I also know of people that take a vacation or a day off and then they go into work or don’t disengage from their phones and computers. It is important that we recognize these signs early on so that we do not suffer the emotional and physical consequences of this. Another sign that we may not think of is to listen to our family and friends. If you hear them talking about how they barely know you and that your never around. Take this as a flashing neon sign that you must slow down and regain that healthy balance.

Let me provide you with some tips if you currently have an unhealthy work/life balance. First start with taking a check with your work practices. Evaluate if you are exhibiting some of the signs I mentioned above that you could change right now. For example after hours and on vacation, shut your phone and computer off. Enjoy this time with your family and friends. If you have been skipping taking vacation recently, take some time off. If the issue comes from your employer, try to negotiate a healthier balance.  Another suggestion is find hobbies that help you to relax and relieve stress. Take time for yourself and rejuvenate. Jason and I love to go lift weights at the gym. It is a stress reliever and helps us to live a healthier life. It also helps that we enjoy it. My last suggestion is that you should prioritize your responsibilities and decide what is important. If something can wait, then let it wait. I know one thing that I have a hard time doing is saying no. I am always looking for ways to volunteer in organizations and sometimes I should say no.

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