Alice considers healthy work / life boundaries
The World Health Organisation recognises ‘Burnout’ as a legitimate medical condition. In the United Kingdom, our work culture encourages competitiveness and constant overworking, discouraging a healthy work-life balance. Balancing our need for rest and our professional commitments is so important to protect our mental and physical health and also optimise our work performance.
It can feel that there are not enough hours in the day, especially not enough time for meaningful restoration! Women often find that they experience the stress of raising a family whilst also pursuing a career and it has been found that the number of women struggling with this pressure is 50% more than male partners. It can be easy to normalise overworking, especially if we have been doing it for a long time or others around us abandon self-care time for work. Women might believe that they have to “do it all” to be successful, but It is important to pause and reflect on our lives and consider whether our deep-rooted beliefs and habits around work are serving us well or causing us pain and stress. Counselling can be insightful in uncovering unhelpful habits and can provide support to someone whilst they make difficult changes.
Having a happy and healthy life may look different for everyone, but if you want to make small changes in your work life, here are some tips to consider…
1. Walk Away!
Consider how you leave work, do you walk home, or walk to the car? Visualise that you are walking away and leaving all the stress and commitments behind you.
2. Get it Out of Sight!
When you are home, remove all work-related objects (for example phones, laptops, notepads), this is your you time and it may feel ruthless, but work time ends when you leave work.
3. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is helpful to practice for lessening work-related anxiety and enjoying the here and now. Practicing meditation, yoga or a short 10-minute mindfulness activity can help you enjoy small moments of joy like a hot drink or a walk in the fresh air.
4. Use Mindful Breaks at Work
Use your breaks at work considerately. Get away from your desk, removing yourself from the physical environment of work can feel like a restorative break.
5. Plan your Free Time
Consider what you may want your free time for. Maybe you find considerable restoration in exercise or social time. Plan your time away from work so that it doesn’t pass you by.
It may feel impossible to shift the pressures of work or the constant adrenaline we feel in our day-to-day lives, but having healthy work/life boundaries can set up some foundations for healthier habits in the future.
References:
Mental Health Foundation (2021). Work-life balance. [online] www.mentalhealth.org.uk. Available at: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/a-z-topics/work-life-balance.
Biddlecoombe, S. (n.d.). Burnout: why we should resist the UK’s toxic culture of overtime to prevent exhaustion. [online] www.stylist.co.uk. Available at: https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/careers/women-in-london-stop-working-overtime-reclaim-life-career-hobby-family-friends-balance-jobs-burnout-stress/45319.
Tate, T. (2024). Self Care for Career Success: 6 Tips to Balance Work and Life. [online] School of Professional Studies at Wake Forest University. Available at: https://sps.wfu.edu/articles/tips-to-balance-work-and-life/.
