HomeHomeMaintaining a Work-Life Balance. Why Is It So Important?
Maintaining a Work-Life Balance. Why Is It So Important?
January 16, 2020
Most of the times, work pressure snatches the place of
everything else important in our lives. Sometimes, the desire to succeed and
move forward makes us forget about our well-being. Not only that, the home environment
is often disturbed if the work pressure is not letting you play the necessary
role in the family.
Creating a peaceful work-life balance is very important not just
for a healthy life but also for your mental, emotional, and physical health. It
also improves the quality of your work if you are mentally at peace.
A career expert and CEO of Amplio Recruiting, Chris Chancey,
said that having a harmonious work-life balance has numerous positive effects,
including reducing the burnouts and stress level and promoting better health.
It benefits employers as well as employees. Employees who are mentally and
physically healthy are productive at work.
What Is a Work-Life Balance?
Mostly, we are not even aware that what is work-life balance. It
is everything that a person requires to stay happy in his life. Here is an
effective and the correct work life balance definition:
“Work-life balance is a term used for the idea that you need time for both work and other aspects of life, whether those are family-related or personal interests. The saying goes that ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’”(Source: https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/work-life-balance.html)
If you Google work-life balance, you will find plenty of work-life
balance definitions there. All of them are focused on the same thing i.e.
having the flexibility to maintain your work hours the way that you have time
for your personal life.
Importance of Work-Life Balance
Let us understand the importance of work-life balance by taking a look at the work of Maslow,
an American psychologist. He introduced a hierarchy of needs that depicted the needs of every individual.
Generally speaking, Maslow believed that every individual has
needs and they have to be met in some order of actions. First, every person has
basic physiological needs such as water, food, and shelter. After that, people
need to feel safe and secure along with being loved.
When these needs are met, then the individual moves towards
self-esteem issues, aesthetic needs, and cognitive needs. Finally, at the top
of this pyramid is self-actualization-which means every individual wants to
achieve full potential as a human being.
When a person starts working, his basic needs are met. It also
gives a boost to their self-esteem. But at the top is the need which can hardly
be achieved by work alone. Here come the lifestyle choices, the time to do
something for yourself, and to feel that you are living at your fullest.
This depicts the importance of work-life balance as it is the
approach that can make an individual self-actualized and happy. When you have
time to do things you love along with working, you get to see your full
potential.
Some Thought-Provoking WorkLife Balance Quotes
Here are some work-life balance quotes that show how people
having different personalities have concluded that work-life balance is important:
When you know the importance of work-life balance, you do plenty
of things to make your life healthier and better. Here are some tips that can
help you achieve a better understanding of work-life balance
· Choose The Job You Love
Although work is a necessary part of life, it doesn’t mean that
it should be stressing and restraining. It is not just about the money, you
must be both emotionally and financially satisfied with your work. If you don’t
like what you do, you might not be able to reach the level of harmony you
desire.
Choose the job you love so that you can be still fresh and
active when you are off the job. You don’t have to drag yourself out of the bed
every day to carry on the work. If you like what you do, you will be all happy
and refreshed mentally.
Set Some Personal Goals
It is very crucial to remain happy when you are home regardless
of how is your work life. Most humans are happy when they have some goals and
purpose to achieve. It is not necessary to make those career goals restricted
to work-life only. You can easily make personal goals to achieve like
traveling, exercise, some new hobby, time with family and friends, and the list
never ends. You just have to find out what your passion is and follow it.
· Sleep Is Important
The total numbers of sleep hours vary from one person to another
as everyone has a different body system. But, one thing is sure that everyone
needs at least seven hours of sleep. You might need more than that, let your
body tell you that. Listen to your body needs and take time to rest whenever
you feel like your body is draining out. You don’t need to over-exert yourself
when you have a full busy day the next morning.
· Healthy Eating Habits
Food is fuel, but most of the times we don’t realize the value
of healthy food unless we face some health issues. Let’s not bring it to that.
When you are working full time, it is quite common to eat unhealthy snacks and
lunches every day. If you are not eating healthy anymore, it is time to change
your habits.
You must know that the food you eat has a great impact on your
mood, work performance, sleep patterns, and overall health. If you observe
closely, just one week of fast food can make you go all exhausted and
irritating. Pack up some good lunch and make your food healthy.
· Exercise
Exercise is a great way of keeping oneself relaxed and healthy.
Even a small workout can effectively change your mood at the moment. It is also
an effective stress reliever. When you exercise, endorphins are produced in
your body that immediately makes you feel great. Your energy levels will be
increased and you will get a good sense of your life.
Work-life balance is as important as any other necessity in
life. You will feel it yourself. If you are just focusing on your job
sacrificing the personal aspects of your life, it will not bring you any
comfort or peace.
In some jobs, the nature of work requires some extra effort and
time sometimes. It is not necessary to cut back that time and give it to your
family because you might be still stressed out due to the work you just left at
the office. You can, however, maintain your time and enjoy the little time you
have with your family at your fullest. Sometimes, you can make the most out of
a small period.
Never ignore the fact that work-life balance is the key to your
health. Make small changes and see how your life becomes better and
calmer.
