Work life balance how can it be achieved?

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Balancingprofessional and personal life is challenging nowadays, but it's essential . Creating a harmonious work-life balance or work-life integration is critical, though, to improve not only our physical, emotional and mental well-being, but it’s also important for our career. maintaining work-life balance is not a simple task.

This might be especially true if you work long hours. Working from home also can blur professional and personal boundaries.

Still, work-life balance is possible.

Work-life balance is the state of equilibrium where a person equally prioritizes the demands of one’s career and the demands of one’s personal life. Some of the common reasons that lead to a poor work-life balance include:

 

  • Work pressure and stress
  • Increased responsibilities and work at office
  • Working for longer hours
  • Increased responsibilities at home like having children
  • Health and lifestyle issues
  • Not taking enough quality time for yourself

Managing work life balance is very essential nowadays for a working women as they have to manage and take are of both their career as well as their family. They have to complete all the daily activities  in home take care of children ,spend quality time with them and also should give their best in workplace simultaneously.

Work-life balance: Tips to reclaim control

Manage your time, detach from work and care for yourself.

  • Manage your time. Give yourself enough time to get things done. Don't overschedule yourself.

 

  • Detach from work. Working from home or frequently using technology to connect to work when you're at home can cause you to feel like you're always on the job. This can lead to chronic stress. If you work from home, dress for work and have a quiet dedicated workspace, if possible. When you're done working each day, detach and transition to home life by changing your outfit, taking a drive or walk, or doing an activity with your kids.

 

Caring for yourself

A healthy lifestyle is essential to coping with stress and to achieve work-life balance. Eat well, include physical activity in your daily routine and get enough sleep. In addition, aim to:

  • Relax. Regularly set aside time for activities that you enjoy, such as practicing yoga, gardening or reading. Hobbies can help you relax, take your mind off of work and recharge. Better yet, discover activities you can do with your partner, family or friends — such as hiking, dancing or taking cooking classes.
  • Volunteer. Research shows that volunteering to help others can improve your connections with others, as well as lead to better life satisfaction and lower psychological distress.
  • Develop a support system. At work, join forces with co-workers who can cover for you and vice versa  when family conflicts arise. At home, enlist trusted friends and loved ones to pitch in with child care or household responsibilities when you need to work late

 

Seeking professional help

If your life feels too chaotic to manage and you're spinning your wheels worrying about it, talk to a mental health provider. If you have access to an employee assistance program, take advantage of available services.

Creating work-life balance is a continuous process as your family, interests and work life change. Periodically examine your priorities and make changes, if necessary to make sure you're keeping on track.

When you hear “work-life balance,” everyone will  probably imagine having an extremely productive day at work, and leaving early to spend the other half of the day with friends and family. While this may seem ideal, it is not always possible. 

Some days, you might focus more on work, while other days you might have more time and energy to pursue your hobbies or spend time with your loved ones. Balance is achieved over time, not each day. 

Find a job that you love.

Find the job which you like and join and you will never have to stress yourself in job.

Prioritize your health.

Your overall physical, emotional and mental health should be your main concern. If you struggle with anxiety or depression and think therapy would benefit you, fit those sessions into your schedule, even if you have to leave work early days.

Prioritizing your health doesn’t have to consist of radical or extreme activities. It can be as simple as daily meditation or exercise.

Don’t be afraid to unplug.

Cutting ties with the outside world from time to time allows us to recover from weekly stress and gives us space for other thoughts and ideas to emerge. Unplugging can mean something simple like practicing transit meditation on your daily commute, instead of checking work emails. 

Take a vacation.

Sometimes, truly unplugging means taking vacation time and shutting work completely off for a while. it’s important to take time off to physically and mentally recharge. 

Make time for yourself and your loved ones.

While your job is important, it shouldn’t be your entire life.

“If you do not firmly plan for personal time, you will never have time to do other things outside of work,” “No matter how hectic your schedule might be, you ultimately have control of your time and life.” 

When planning time with your loved ones, create a calendar .It may seem weird to plan one-on-one time with someone you live with, but it will ensure that you spend quality time with them without work-life conflict. Just because work keeps you busy doesn’t mean you should neglect personal relationships. 

 Set boundaries and work hours.

Set boundaries for yourself and your colleagues, to avoid burnout. Consider having a separate computer or phone for work, so you can shut it off when you clock out. If that isn’t possible, use separate browsers, emails or filters for your work and personal platforms.

Set goals and priorities

Set achievable goals by implementing time-management strategies, analyzing your to-do list, and cutting out tasks that have little to no value. 

“Work-life balance will mean different things to different people because, after all, we all have different life commitments.“

As long as you're working, juggling the demands of career and personal life will probably be an ongoing challenge. But by setting limits and looking after yourself, you can achieve the work-life balance that's best for you. When creating a schedule that works for you, think about the best way to achieve balance at work and in your personal life

-Dr. Reshma Bhat

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