Work-Life Balance: Start with Yourself First

As working professionals, we constantly hear about the importance of work-life balance. And many employers now brag about their work-life benefits and family-friendly policies. But for many of us, trying to find the perfect way to juggle these roles can seem nearly impossible.

Maybe that’s because we’re approaching things all wrong—at least, according to the author of this article. The author believes that work-life balance—or at least how we all envision it to be—is an impossible goal to attain. What’s more, the futile quest to try and achieve this can only end up adding to our stress level, which is already high enough.

Instead, we need to focus on reducing stress in our lives and figuring out what makes us happy. In other words, we need to find inner balance before we can even begin to think about work-life balance. The article also describes “sacrifice syndrome,” a sort of extreme burnout that happens when we put everything else (work, family, other commitments) before our own well-being. This can be harmful to us physical, emotional and spiritual health.

This syndrome is often an offspring of chronic, growing stress—which can of course also be harmful in many ways.

The solution: Make yourself a priority, just as you do everything else. Remember, you can’t give anything else 100% if you aren’t in your best possible state of mind and physical condition.

How do you keep yourself balanced and reduce stress? Share tips in the comments. 

Image courtesy of PaulVallejo