The most important thing to maintaining a healthy work-life balance is to make yourself a priority. Having a work ethic that compliments your personal life helps to reduce unnecessary stress that you put upon yourself which could lead to burnout.
I struggle some days with maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Everyone is busy and you find that you get pulled in all directions. We all have different schedules and commitments, therefore maintaining balance will look different for each of us.
Balancing your professional and personal life can be challenging, however it is essential. Maintaining this improves your emotional, physical and mental well-being.
Here are four ideas on how to make a start.
Set Goals
On a daily basis our to-do-list gets bigger and we feel deflated when we don’t get through it. List 3 must do things that you don’t compromise on and make sure you get those done. Feeling like you have achieved something in your day gives you not only a positive outlook, but motivation to keep going. Consider using essential oils to help keep you focused. There are a number of ways you can do this; use an oil diffuser in your home or at your desk, smell the oils straight from the bottle or apply them topically. I love using doTERRA essential oils as they are pure and there are no contaminants, fillers, or adulterations. Whatever ones you use, make sure they are of a therapeutic grade. I like to use doTERRA's InTune or Peppermint essential oils as they help to focus your thoughts.
Set Boundaries and Work Hours
This is one I have struggle with. It can be particularly hard if you work from home which makes it even more important to set healthy boundaries. Leave work at work and when you come home, this needs to be family or ‘you’ time. If you have a home office, make sure you shut the door and pack your computer away so that it is out of sight during family time. So often we burn out because we don’t separate the two. If you are like me and find it hard to sleep because your brain won’t switch off, do a brain dump before going to bed – write everything down you need to do the next day and then leave it for tomorrow.
Unplug
For some of us it’s hard to unplug from our phones, laptops and social media, but it is extremely important to switch off and give your brain a break. We take in so much information that there comes a limit where we don’t absorb any more. Like our body, our brain is a living organ that needs rest and rejuvenation so that we can function at our best. Even if it’s only at night time for a few hours or during dinner time with the family, put down those devices and live in the moment. You could decide to have a tech free day for a few hours once a week - Sunday's are a great time for this so that you can recharge ready for the next week ahead. Again, using essential oils can help you to relax and rejuvenate at the end of the day. doTERRA Balance or Lavender essential oils are great for unwinding the body and mind.
Exercise and Meditate
We all say there’s little time for exercise, however this doesn't have to mean going to the gym. Instead take a walk in your lunch hour, get out in nature on the weekend or simply still your mind with a morning meditation before you start your day. We need to make our health and mental wellness a priority to reduce stress and other ailments that arise from not doing selfcare. I start my day listening to a 5 minute guided meditation while lying in bed. You can find plenty of these free on YouTube. Then I'll grab a glass of water and go for a 30 minute walk. This clears my head so that I can deal with whatever the day will throw at me. Once I'm back, I like to read the affirmations I've set for myself. Some days I'll do more, but I have made those 3 things non-negotiable so that I stick to a routine. It doesn't have to be elaborate, start small and go from there.
There are many strategies available, but getting started is the first step. You want to make it achievable and easy to do so that you continue doing it. Once you have these ingrained as part of your everyday living, you can start adding more.