Mindset and Work-Life Balance: Are You In Sync?
Life has many challenges, and they are not just a walk in the park. First, there are only so many hours in a day to get things done.
Have you ever experienced any of these?
- Can’t complete tasks on time?
- Suffering from procrastination?
- Are you too tired to feel refreshed in the morning?
- Do you feel like you have lost the strong connection you once felt towards your family and friends?
If you’re experiencing these symptoms, then it’s time that you change old habits.
A few examples of these harmful habits are:
- Staying up late and then feeling the consequences in the morning.
- Binge eating, but gaining weight and feeling unhappy.
- Drinking to feel relaxed, but then overdoing it.
- Not getting enough exercise during the week.
Any of these can be a sign of an unbalanced life.
Daily Stresses In Your Life
Singles and families can relate to this when organizing their day. Stress levels rise as you go about your day trying to meet deadlines at work.
After a long day at the office, you have to run the household, cook dinner, get the kids to bed, catch up on me-time and get enough rest to get through the next day.
Maintaining friendships is hard, so your friends feel neglected when you work long hours and focus on your business. This situation can leave you feeling sad and disappointed.
You might not even be aware that your stress level is increasing as you continue to juggle your workload and personal life. Before you know it, it’s too late to make positive changes, and you end up with serious health issues.
You need to find a way to attain a work-life balance by addressing issues troubling you in order to make the right changes. You don’t have to have everything under control when doing things. It’s okay to let go.
Mental Health Challenges
Get help or set aside some alone time so you can focus on how your body feels. For example, you may have been suffering from insomnia or achy joints. Physical ailments are one of the leading stresses in life.
Constantly focusing on your aches and pains will make them feel worse. Elevated levels of Cortisol, a.k.a. stress hormones, can cause chronic stress in the body.
If you’ve been experiencing a lot of migraines, then maybe you cannot attribute it to the change in weather. Instead, it could signify that you’re angry at someone like a boss, coworker, or family member.
Look objectively and realistically at how your day went. Review it.
Were your nerves frayed when encountering a person or dealing with a situation?
How does your body feel while thinking about this?
The Effect Of Stress On Your Body
Does your lack of appetite result from your attempt to accomplish everything correctly and not having enough time to eat? Maybe you are feeling too nervous about something or are too depressed to eat?
If you feel your busy schedule prevents you from eating healthy meals, make it a point to no longer buy processed food. Instead, map out a meal plan with nutritious ingredients and add them to your next shopping list.
When you are eating, focus on the food’s texture while trying to slowly chew and enjoy it. Your physical symptoms can be a thing of the past when you allow your body time to digest your meal.
Another mealtime stress factor is the ever-present cell phones. Try putting away your mobile phones at the dinner table, and practice mindfulness while eating.
Additional techniques can include exercise, meditation, or yoga. For example, deep breathing exercises can be very meditative and help slow you down during and after a busy day.
Feeling Short-Tempered or Grumpy?
You may have noticed that you are very low on patience and that a simple phrase triggers you. Maybe your boss is giving you more work than you can handle. Still, your fear of potentially losing your job prevents you from saying “no” even if your boss crosses your personal threshold.
According to studies, the capacity of businesses to stay in touch with their workforce around the clock, thanks to technology, can seriously damage employees’ ability to separate their work and personal lives.
This invasion into your personal space typically causes negative feelings and stress. These additional pressures can be the cause of short tempers and emotional outbursts. You are no longer as productive as you used to be when you don’t have a work-life balance.
When You Feel Like Throwing In The Towel
You begin to doubt your skills and commitment when considering your performance as being poor. In situations like these, it’s simple to feel “undeserving” or think the goal is out of your reach because you’re simply not talented enough.
Experiencing those feelings is an unfortunate byproduct of an imbalanced life, especially because they are invalid. However, you can change the validity of those feelings by developing new habits and routines that create balance.
Creating The Balance
Now that you recognize the need to create a better balance, you must start looking for alternatives and solutions to your challenges.
Do the following to feel balanced:
- Take a walk around the block or soak up the beauty in nature to boost your mood.
- Find new hobbies and activities that feel rewarding.
- Change your daily routine.
- Complete more stimulating tasks in the morning, and reward yourself by taking a walk during your lunch break.
Begin the day by greeting the sunrise with a short walk outside while drinking a warm cup of coffee.
Make a list of some fun new things you would like to try. For example, you can entertain a variety of hobbies you had in the past or some new unexplored ones.
Try convincing your supervisor to allow you to come into the office on a more irregular schedule. For example, clock in earlier in the morning so that you can leave earlier in the afternoon.
Variety is the spice of life! It will keep you on your toes. Flexible starting times will make it easier to schedule a doctor’s appointment or cheer your child’s sports team on.
Changing your routine and getting out of the office for lunch is a great way to put a little distance between you and your job. You can either undertake something alone or meet up with some non-work friends for a quick meal.
Improving Performance
You will put in more effort at the office when you achieve a work-life balance. In addition, happy employees feel an allegiance to their team and company, which can improve morale and boost productivity.
The absenteeism rate is much lower, and your health will improve significantly when your equilibrium is restored.
Likewise, the improved balance will create a better atmosphere on your homefront. Tensions between partners and children will decrease. This change will be reflected in the overall mood of the household.
You will do yourself a favor by fixing the problem before it’s too late and you find yourself running on empty. Make the changes now.
