Maintaining a healthy work and life balance can be one of the most challenging aspects of any job.  When you can literally carry your work and office in the palm of your hand with digital devices, it’s easy to find yourself dragging it everywhere with you.  Strive to find the perfect separation of the two and you’ll find yourself able to give it your all in both worlds. 

Woman with hands behind head relaxing at work

Leave it!

Just like yelling at your dog trying to eat your sneaker over and over again, you might need to yell at yourself to leave your work gripes at the office building.  If you really need to vent it all out when you get home, try limiting your time – set a timer if you have to – and then once the timer has run out, so has the venting.  If you need a friend or partner to listen, let them know this is going to be a rapid-fire complaining sesh and then it will be all over and not to be talked about again for the rest of the day/weekend, and have them enforce the time limits.

Woman doing yoga on desk at work

Staying Active

Once you leave work, find activities that bring you joy and relaxation.  Having distinct work activities and home life activities and interests will help with keeping things separate.  Join a group or fitness club so you have outside office time with other people.  Keeping your outside life active will challenge yourself mentally in different ways than how you challenge yourself at work.  You want to develop yourself personally as well as professionally.  Think about your free time as the time you are working on yourself.  Do what you need to do to enhance all aspects of your life.

A Note on Work/Life Friends

If you have friends that you see outside work and enjoy their company, agree as a group to no-work talk outside of office hours.  You want to cultivate those relationships outside of the confines of your job, so try to keep it that way as much as possible.  If you must, you could also incorporate the time limit on work talk with your friends, and then call it quits for the rest of the time you spend together.

Know your Limits

One of the most important aspects of a work/life balance is knowing your personal limits and when you need to take a step back.  Be aware of your energy levels and your mental health.  Take your rest and recovery seriously because no one is going to be monitoring it for you.  Get smart at learning when you are reaching the end of your rope before you fall completely off.  If you can get more in touch with your personal and mental health, you’ll be the master of knowing when to push yourself, versus when to take it easy.

Finding a healthy balance can be truly challenging, but it is worth investing time and effort into making it a priority in your life.  Keep striving towards this balance and you’ll never be disappointed.

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