Many of us feel we are struggling to juggle different aspects of our lives and also feel that this is an essential part of modern life and guilty if we can’t maintain it. Is it possible to keep work, relationships, carer responsibilities, fitness, fun and more in balance? Or are we aiming for the unattainable? The following articles discuss the issue from different angles and viewpoints.
The secret to work-life balance is to stop balancing
Janice Marturano, Forbes
The author of this blog article feel that we should stop balancing and be fully present in the now in our individual lives. She says that if we don’t, we can live life on autopilot. You push through each crazy day, missing much of what is happening around you and not noticing the details.
For the full article by Janice Marturano, click here.
Ten tips for a better work-life balance
Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian
Although this article is quite old in blog terms, Stuart Jeffries has some good points to make. Offering 10 ideas on how we can make small changes to our lives and, more importantly, our attitude to work demands, Stuart Jeffries is pragmatic about how realistic the ‘work life balance’ is. One of the quotes that speaks to me most from this article is about ‘Set Your Own Rules’; “The important thing is to ignore the shoulds – the shoulds that comes from other people or from you internalising others’ mindsets. You have to rely on your own intuition.” Well said!
For the full article by Stuart Jeffries, click here.
Work-life balance: What does it mean for men?
David Demmer, Movember conversations
We hear a lot more about what work life balance means for women than men and the media is very vocal about combining family and career but this is generally from the female viewpoint. This piece by David is refreshing in that it talks about the issue from a male point of view.
For the full article, click here
Work life balance quiz
Canadian Mental Health Association
If you enjoy doing quick quizzes, we’ve found this one from the Canadian Mental Health Association asking 15 yes/no questions about work-life and gives some tips with the score at the end. Very clearly not scientific, the quiz can be a quick guide on where you are. To take the test, click here
If you’d like some support around the area of work-life balance or stress, you can contact one of our counsellors. Click here for more details.