Work-life balance comes from within. So, let’s focus on your whole self: body, soul, mind and spirit. Using the acronym C.L.E.A.N. can help you stay in balance by remembering you’re more than what you do.
Our character, lifestyle, exercise, attitude and nutrition are how we fuel our lives and the choices that lead to balance. Our inner life, our values, our movement, our thoughts and our food all play a role in work-life balance.
Most people don’t feel like they live in balance in many areas of their lives, so they enjoy discussions about their total health. Hard-working Americans are doing the best they can to live a giving life, open to the needs of others while trying to find the time to “do it all” and do it well!
We love what we do so we’re always trying to “keep up” with the workload or the perceived workload. We’re very, very responsible individuals and we love our company, job and team. And we love being productive. We rarely complain about the workload. And if anything, we want to carry it better, faster and farther. Without asking for help, we do it while juggling everything else in our lives.
We’re loyal, faithful, caring people who desperately don’t want to “let anyone down.” We get up earlier, work later, skip lunch, miss workouts and experience sleepless nights thinking about the things we need to get done. We keep up to a point. But to do so, we have to let a few valuable things go. And to do that, we feel guilty and ashamed for not being able to fit family, children and spouse, let alone personal time into our lives in a meaningful way.
All that and we often don’t see how productive and valuable we really are! So we always push ourselves. If I just work harder, then x, y, z will happen. We don’t celebrate the things we DO finish. Because when one thing gets done, two more projects take its place and are due now!
Seeking Balance
We all seek balance. It’s a hot topic, but we often feel that we have “no time” to really care for ourselves. So we take care of everyone and everything else. As a result, we often suffer the consequences due to the expectations we place on our performance and/or the expectations of others, whether real or imagined!
We’re seeking balance, for sure. But we can’t see how it can happen and that leads to stress at work, at home, in marriage and in personal health and wellness. So, what do we do? Let’s take a look.
If we focus on external things to find balance, it may be temporary, but still meaningful. We’re not machines. Even if we feel like it at times.
Look for practical, “creative” ways to incorporate more life, movement, attitude and food as ways to fuel yourself. Create a personal Wellness Vision. Then set goals and action steps that build internal HOPE.
Living Well From the Inside Out
It’s important that we live well from the inside out. Balance comes from the centered self. This is where you’re the star of your own life. Being healthy, well and balanced comes from within. So, it’s really up to you.
Remember, if we’re not healthy inside, the saying “hurting people hurt people” is all too real. The people around us feel the pain. Likely it’s not intentional, but it’s still a real thing and a very important topic for mental/emotional health. Our inner life is where we truly live. Until we feel centered and balanced on the inside, we’ll feel off-balance and out of balance everywhere else.
So, stop for a moment and think of the people who matter to you. Picture your child’s smiling face, hear your best friend’s laugh, or feel the comfort of a loved one’s reassuring hug. They make life worth living. Find balance in those things to support work-life balance. Research shows that close relationships are one of the most important aspects of a happy life. Building strong connections and keeping them strong gives strength to all parties. This is yet, another great reason to nurture relationships with others.
Reach for Positivity
Notice and appreciate the gifts and strengths of others. Look for kindness, acknowledge teamwork and recognize forgiveness. The opportunities to connect around these character strengths are endless. And they’re more appreciated than a “job” well done, simply pointing out a “great call”, or recognizing something related to what we DO. When someone points out strengths in our character and who we ARE, we glow for days and our performance level increases along with self-esteem and confidence. It improves and encourages us internally to not just DO better, but BE better and we can all “be better.”
When you think of those who matter to you, what strengths do they embody? Look for their strengths each time you’re with them and you’ll grow to love them even more.
Explore ways you can integrate strengths-spotting into your life to boost relationships with those you don’t know yet or don’t know well. Discover this research-backed, easy-to-use strategy in your own life. Focus on the good. Look for character strengths.
Look Inward
Life can be hard. And it can be even harder when we don’t have work-life balance. We all need to open up the vault of locked-up feelings. We need time to share ideas and challenges and block out space in our day to just breathe and remember that we’re more than just what we do.