Navigating Work/Life Balance

Work-life balance refers to the state of equilibrium in which an individual prioritizes their career demands and personal life. Especially throughout this pandemic, many of our day-to-day lives have changed. Whereas before you might have gone to the office or school, been in “work mode”, and had a commute home to decompress, many of us no longer have that space. Our day to day lives have shifted in terms of being able to transition from “work” to “home.” Previously, leaving the office may have signaled the end of a day, but now you remain in your “office” (home) with no clear end point to signal it’s time to leave work behind.  

Moreover, our homes which once may have symbolized rest, connection, and personal space, have also become our work/office environment.  The place you previously went to after work to wind down, enjoy a meal, and connect with your family is now the same place you join Zoom meetings, field work calls, and catch up on emails with coworkers. Our work life and home life have been compiled into one space, which has both a physical but also mental impact on our ability to maintain balance. 

Let’s face it, the boundaries have been blurred! And this had led many of us to struggle with separating these parts of our life, on top of balancing the demands of each. Self-reflection on boundaries provides an opportunity to re-evaluate work/life balance to prevent burnout.  

Let’s Define Burnout: 

Burnout, specifically in the workplace, is work-related stress that can accumulate and lead to both physical and/or emotional exhaustion. Specifically, this can look like feeling fatigued, having low energy, difficulty concentrating, and a reduced sense of life satisfaction. Additionally, this can involve a sense of reduced accomplishment and impact one’s personal identity. “Burnout” isn’t technically a mental health diagnosis yet can be part of an underlying condition such as clinical depression or anxiety. One of the ways in which burnout manifests is when individuals struggle to maintain appropriate boundaries and set limits around their work roles/tasks. 

Let’s Talk Boundaries: What Are They? 

There are various types of boundaries including physical, time, emotional, intellectual, sexual, etc. Perhaps the most important types of boundaries to think about when reflecting on work-life balance are time boundaries (e.g., how we set limits with time spent at work/on work related tasks, and overtime), intellectual (our ability to share ideas, respect the opinions of others, etc), and emotional (being attuned to our emotional state and what feelings we bring to work). Being aware of our boundaries and working to uphold them can allow you to protect yourself from over-committing and overextending yourself, hence having better balance in your work/home life.  

Let’s Take Action: How to Vocalize Your Boundaries 

While it may feel as if you do not have autonomy when it comes to the workplace, this may not be accurate. Identifying your personal limits at work is the first step. This might be in the relationships you have with others, the number of hours you are able to work per day/week, identifying what is within your scope/position and delegating when appropriate. Below we offer some helpful tips to get you started in communicating your boundaries. 

Helpful Tips for Boundary Setting: 

• Use “I” statements  

• “I’m unable to work late tonight” 

• “I cannot commit to that at this time” 

• “I can address this concern when I am back in the office on Monday” 

• Appear confident 

• Use clear, concise language. Check your posture 

• Be willing to compromise if needed 

• “I’m unable to work late tonight, is there another way in which I could be helpful in contributing to this project?” 

• Avoid apologizing 

• When anxious with making a request or saying no, its not uncommon to apologize. For example, “I’m sorry to bother you but…” or “I hate to ask for a favor, but I need tomorrow off” 

• It is OK to ask for clarification, for support, for time off! 

• Do not respond right away 

• In a fast-paced work environment, we can feel an urge to respond right when the email hits the inbox, or a slack message appears. Most of the time however, there is not a true sense of emergency. Pausing to think about the request and your limitations, can be helpful in making a wise-mind decision once you have truly checked in with yourself.   

Let’s Take Action: Incorporating Self-Care 

In addition to having healthy boundaries, prioritizing self-care is also key to maintaining balance in your life. “Self-care” is the intentional process of engaging in tasks or activities that promote our wellness and health. We traditionally think of self-care activities as things we do separate from work. Take inventory of things that you enjoy, have been putting off, or may be good for you even if they don’t initially “feel good” (e.g., going to therapy!) Instead of your schedule being filled only with what you “have” to do, be sure there are some things you “want” to do in there, too. Below we share some favorite suggestions for self-care practice ideas: 

- Get creative (cook/bake something new, engage in art practice)

- Get outside in nature 

- Move your body! (yoga, walk/run, try a new fitness class) 

- Reading a book/listen to a podcast of interest 

-Connect with supports: make time to call/text a friend or loved one 

- Self-soothe through the five senses (think sight, smell, taste, hearing, touch) 

We can also think of incorporating small moments of self-care into the work day to maintain a positive mood state and possibly mitigate feelings of overwhelm.  For example, taking your lunch break should be a non-negotiable! This time out is a great opportunity to walk away from your desk (or living room couch) and be in the present moment. Enjoy eating your lunch uninterrupted, take a more mindful lunch walk around the block (or your office building), or use your time for a fun activity (reading a magazine, listening to a podcast). When we use our breaks for work, or to complete another item on our to-do list, the break is not restorative.  

Gentle reminder: Practice leads to progress! It can feel anxiety-provoking to be more directive with others, or step back from work and say no. However, advocating for your needs and prioritizing yourself, can lead to feelings of self-efficacy in the long-term. Finding balance can also lead us to feel more present in our relationships and cultivate other areas of meaning in our life. Balance can help combat burnout, depression, anxiety and other psychological/emotional challenges. 

In summary, it is helpful to remember that there is no “perfect” balance. Balance can be thought of more like a journey, not a destination. Some days/weeks you may feel more in balance than others. Take inventory of your needs and continually assess it every week or so, to see where you can be intentional about caring for yourself. Remaining open to assessing your needs and ability to meet particular demands is key. So go ahead and use your vacation time, take your lunch break, and unplug at the end of the day…. you earned it 😊