Creating Balance Between Work, Life, and Self-Care
We’ve probably all been there at some point - feeling like you’re living just to work, and not knowing how to break the cycle in order to prioritize yourself. Creating work-life balance can sometimes be easier said than done, but learning how to set boundaries for yourself is essential to your overall well-being.
What is Work-Life Balance?
Work-life balance is equally prioritizing one’s work and personal life. You might ask yourself: “Am I living to work, or am I working to live?”
Our society celebrates hustle culture and constantly working to the point of burning out. This doesn’t allow our nervous system to have the chance to relax, rest, and reset. Often, it can leave your nervous system in a state of fight-or-flight, which is extremely unhealthy for our bodies and minds. However, setting boundaries for yourself and your personal time can be a great starting point for creating work-life balance and overall harmony in your life.
Work-life balance might look like: ensuring that when you’re off the clock you’re not doing work-related tasks, waking up early to fit in a workout and meditation, scheduling a weekly reflexology session, and more. Really, creating a work-life balance is all about what rest or “me-time” looks like for you.
Honestly, one of my simplest tricks to work life balance has been to schedule time in my calendar for rest and self care related things. For example, I have blocked off every Wednesday evening to see my reflexologist & reiki practitioner, and I block off Sundays to meal prep. This way I know those two tasks will happen, no matter what.
How Can I Balance Life While Working From Home?
As more and more people have started working from home or operating from a hybrid schedule, more people have struggled with creating a work-life balance. While it might seem like you’re saving time from your daily commute, often people are extending their work days and the boundaries between work and home life are becoming blurred. Try to stick to a consistent routine that allows you to separate work from home.
Tips for Creating Work-Life Balance from Home or The Office:
1) Stick to your work hours and have a designated work area. If your hours are 9-5 then ensure you’re not answering work-related calls and emails outside of those hours. NO MOBILE WORK NOTIFICATIONS. Also, having a specific workspace will help your brain differentiate between where work is done and where life happens. Overall, this will help with setting boundaries about sticking to your scheduled hours. Otherwise, as tempting as it is to lay in bed and do your work - DON’T! This is going to make actual bed related tasks a bit more challenging to associate with the bed. SAVE THE BED for SEX and SLEEP!
2) Take time for a lunch break. No one ever got an award for skipping all of their lunch breaks to prioritize work. Prioritize you! When working in the office, your workplace culture may encourage you not to take a break. When working from home, you may be forgetful about taking this time for yourself. Try to stick to this habit by moving to the kitchen, or an area away from your desk, to eat some lunch and fuel yourself for the rest of the afternoon. This prioritizes setting aside a bit of time for you and your needs. Personally, I also like to make a lunch date with a friend or myself to go for a walk to spend an hour eating together. It’s easier for me to cancel on myself than my friend - this helps me avoid that, especially when I have a big project ongoing.
3) Take time for meditation and movement. Set aside a couple 15 minute periods throughout your work day for mindfulness. Whether that’s moving your body intentionally or pausing for a 5-minute meditation - this helps your brain reset and find clarity throughout your day. Having an accountability buddy is life-changing for this task too. Even if it means sitting on a phone call with your bestie for 10 min during your break to listen to Deepak Chopra’s musings or a Sahara Rose podcast.
Scheduling in Self-Care
One of the most important parts of creating work-life balance is scheduling time for self-care. For everyone this may look different, but here are some suggestions for scheduled self-care: book a reflexology or reiki appointment, doing your nails, getting in a workout, take a bath with moody candles, have a sexy date with yourself with some herbal tea and your vibrator. ;) You deserve it.
I would also suggest scheduling your a reiki or reflexology session before you leave your practitioner, this will ensure that you’re making space for a foundation of balance in your life. This way you can also connect with your practitioner on how you’re doing on a regular basis. The healing benefits of reiki and reflexology can be so beneficial in all aspects of your life, from home to work, even to your relationships and mental health. These practices also give your nervous system a break from being so go-go-go all the time.
Why is Work-Life Balance SO Important?
Work-life balance is important because you are important! Setting time aside for you, your dreams, and your loved ones. Not only does creating balance show you some self-love, but it also sets boundaries for others to see how you prioritize yourself. Also, it creates the opportunity for your children or loved ones to see how they too can prioritize their needs. Mirroring is a magical tool!
Creating work-life balance gives your nervous system a chance to rest, leaving your body in an overall healthier state. This will give you a chance at feeling like your best self, while prioritizing your overall wellness and well-being.
Most importantly, the first step to creating work-life balance is setting the intention to do so. From there, you can create small changes until you reach your ideal place of harmony where you feel fulfilled in both your personal and work life. What will you do today to make room for balance in your life?
