5 Ways To Improve Your Work-Life Balance
Our work lives are equally as important as our personal and social lives. Sometimes with the stress of our work environment, demanding deadlines, long hours, and never-ending household tasks, it can lead us to lose sight of that equal importance. Ensuring that there is a healthy balance between our work life and personal life is so important for our well-being, as well as our headspace. When our personal health begins to struggle, other aspects of our personal life, and eventually our work life as well, begin to struggle as well. Despite the strong value we place in our work, it is important to still make the time to do what we need for our health and well-being. Below are five little tips I’ve curated that may be helpful in finding and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Take Breaks
Whether it be finally taking your lunch break or choosing a quick five minutes to yourself, grant yourself little breaks throughout your day. This could look like a short walk, calling and catching up with friends briefly, or some stretching. Moving your body and feeling some fresh air can help reset and clear your headspace, bringing a sense of clarity and calm as you continue your day.
Understand the Value in Prioritizing Your Health
Your health is the most important thing, and without it you can’t expect to thrive in the other areas of your life. It is important to be on the lookout for your own personal signs of burnout, as well as any negative emotions that drain you. Make sure you take the time to tend to your own needs, whether that be moving your body, making the time to nourish yourself with foods that make you feel good, meditating, spending quality time with loved ones, etc. In order to show up in your personal life and work life as the best version of you, you must be physically and emotionally healthy.
Set Healthy Boundaries
One of the most important lessons I have learned is the power saying ‘no’ has in protecting your peace and well-being. Helping others and completing favors is a wonderful thing to do, but it is also important to ensure it does not come at the cost of your physical or emotional well-being. It may be a good idea to be in tune with yourself and identify when your plate may be too full or on the brink of overflowing. Learning to say ‘no’ when it can help maintain your well-being is such a crucial tool to have, and one you can easily practice with colleagues at work or loved ones at home.
Take A Real Lunch Break
Everyone is given a lunch break, and for good reason. Taking it can be really helpful in maintaining that work-life balance. A lot of the time, we opt to work through lunch, hardly getting in a sufficient meal, or scarf food down so quickly that we throw our digestion in a whirl. Taking your allotted lunch break allows you time to nourish your body with food that will allow you to feel and perform your best. It is also a wonderful built-in little reset in your day. It is time you can take to yourself in whatever capacity it can be helpful to you. Lunch breaks can be extremely beneficial for those working from home as well. It allows that time to reset, but also can be very helpful in maintaining a routine to the often unstructured nature of working from home.
Make Time For Loved Ones
By nature, we humans are incredibly social beings. Spending time with friends and family can help us maintain a healthy headspace, release endorphins, and form crucial bonds. When work begins to interfere with our social lives, the isolation that follows can have detrimental effects on our emotional and physical health. Ensuring that we make the time to be there for our loved ones and spend quality time with them is really important. It may be helpful to block out some time to spend with friends or family in your calendar to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
