Finding Balance
Work Hard, Play Hard. It’s an age-old adage that promotes a balance between work and pleasure. This balance isn’t always easy, we work hard for the money and sometimes it’s so exhausting that we don’t have time for ourselves. Even rituals like manicures may feel like more of a chore than an actual beauty moment.
Finding the balance between working and making time for yourself is critical to your mental health. To start, I wake up a half-hour earlier than I really need to, yes in part because of that call I love getting in the morning but also because it gives me the opportunity to do a little bit more for myself, make a better breakfast or watch a bit of television.
Another great way to take some time for yourself is to get self-care in on your days off. Do your hard workout these days, take a warm bath, meal prep so it’s not the first thing you have to do when you get home after a long day of work.
There are a few other ways to make sure you’re finding that sweet spot in your work-life balance. Try not to be a perfectionist. It is hard, some days you’ll be behind on a project or you’ll feel like you should know more about the product you’re selling. I know I’m definitely guilty of that last one, in my last job I signed on through remote servers to blast through my onboarding videos and any extra content I thought might help me get a leg up. It was great, except I worked at least an extra hour a day and on my days off I wasn’t switching off. I burned out really quickly.
Taking a step away from your work if you can is crucial. At the end of the day, don’t bring your work life home with you. It is really important to be able to say to a loved one that your focus is on them and that might mean setting aside even an hour of your day where work is not discussed. If you’ve got to meditate to get rid of those thoughts and calm your mind, do it.
I’m not saying to totally separate your life, I’m in my mid (I almost said early) twenties and I’m not a mom yet, I don’t have a house yet, my time is easy at the moment to block out and doesn’t involve kids and their extracurriculars plus the animals I eventually want to raise plus a busy career. My experience probably won’t apply to those of you who maybe have all these things already. I don’t know what it’s like to be taking a bath and have your kid show up crying because the other one won’t share a toy, although my cat does show up and demand attention (I know these don’t equate, don’t @ me).
What I am saying is that you should try to take time for yourself – whatever that time looks like. Does that mean walking to work if you live close by to have a quiet commute? Does it mean taking the car out of the city on weekends to hike in a nearby park? Maybe it just means you’re awake before you really need to be to read a good book and have a cup of tea.
Take a breath, take a moment, make this part of your best life.
