Life is the longest thing you will ever do. Living a balanced life is important for a happy and healthy life full of passion and enjoyment.
Why is balance so important in life?
Maintaining a healthy balance in all areas of your life has many benefits.
For example, if you are doing great in your career, but have no personal life or have many health problems, you are definitely suffering from an imbalance.
In contrast, when you have time for socializing, keeping fit and healthy, while still having a great career, then it means you have managed to find the balance between different areas of your life.
When you don’t maintain a healthy balance, you run the risk of the following:
1. Stress
Being stressed is not just a mental problem, it has a physical impact on your body.
Many studies have shown a link between stress and heart disease or inflammation.
I have suffered from some real burnout, I kid you not!
2. Poor mental health
A poor mental health will make it harder to cope with daily life.
You are more moody, more emotional, and it can lead to feeling depressed and anxious all the time.
You will feel more negative about the future.
3. Poor physical health
Stress, bad diets, lack of exercise, these are all things that to lead to poor health, and has been linked to many diseases.
3. Bad habits
People who are overworked or stressed tend to have a lot more bad habits such as:
They eat more junk food – this leads to more health problems like diabetes or heart disease.
They drink more alcohol to manage stress – I have certainly been guilty of this many times.
They watch more TV to decompress after a hard day – this makes them more inactive which has been linked to obesity and heart disease.
4. Constantly tired
You feel constantly tired, no matter how much you sleep.
Or worse you can’t fall asleep, or if you can, you can’t stay asleep.
There are many reasons why getting enough sleep is essential.
What is a balanced life?
A balanced life is when all areas in your life are in harmony.
You don’t spend all your energy only on one area, for example, like work.
Some very successful and rich people that I know allow work to consume them, they are online and plugged in 24h a day.
This gives them less quality time with their families, the people that love them and actually want to spend time with them.
In other words, a balanced life means you have a higher quality of life.
What is a healthy work life balance?
A healthy work life balance means you have enough time for your friends and family.
But at the same time you enjoy your job and give it enough of your time and energy without feeling overwhelmed.
You can build a career without letting your work consume you.
And you still have time to enjoy your personal life.
Why is balancing work and life important?
There are many reasons why a good work life balance is important for a higher quality of life.
The 9 key benefits of having balance between work and life
1. Work life balance means improved health and wellbeing
When you make time for yourself, it often includes eating better and exercising more.
You become fitter, stronger, healthier, and you have more energy.
You are less likely to develop diabetes or other heart related diseases.
And in general you have less health issues.
2. Work life balance means improved mental health
You reduce stress levels, which is also good for your physical health.
You have more fun, feel more at peace and have more happiness in your life.
You feel more positive about the future and can set better goals for your career and life in general.
Your mind becomes stronger and it becomes easier to deal with stressful events.
In other words, a better work life balance will lead to a higher quality of life!
3. Work life balance means you have better relationships
You have more time for your friends and family, plus you are more “present” when with them.
You can set healthy boundaries with those around you, which leads to less stress and anxiety.
Of course, not only do your personal relationships improve, but your office or workplace relationships will also benefit.
4. A balanced lifestyle leads to having more energy
A healthier more balanced life will lead to having more physical and mental energy.
This will allow you to set better goals for the future.
You achieve more of your goals which in turn leads setting bigger and better goals you never thought possible.
You become more productive.
You see more career success which leads to a higher salary and higher quality of life.
5. Work life balance means you create more
Being able to create something out of nothing is very fulfilling.
This can mean creating art, or simply a new time saving process at work that leads to better productivity.
6. Work life balance makes your more confident and positive
Feeling more confident and positive is very important for your mental health.
7. Work life balance leads to more success in life
When you have more energy, and you become more creative and productive, not only will your employer notice – which is good for your career, you will also change how you think about other areas of your life.
Basically, you will refuse to settle for less.
You will set higher goals.
You will achieve more and more goals.
You will have less fear of trying new things.
You will live with more passion and enjoyment.
8. Work life balance means you will live with more passion
When you enjoy all areas of your life, you can’t but help have more passion for the things you do on a daily basis.
9. Real balance in all areas of your life will make you happy and fulfilled
All in all, when you are healthy and fit, have time to be creative, have time to switch off or spend it with loved ones, your happiness will increase a hundred fold.
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How do you balance work and life?
The good news is there are no major lifestyle changes required to find or improve your work life balance.
There are lots of very easy, and free ways you can use to find and maintain balance in various areas of your life.
Here are some quick tips to get you started on building a good work life balance in all areas of your life.
9 ways to find some balance
1. Make time for yourself
The importance of me-time cannot be overstated when it comes to finding work life balance.
A simple walk through the woods instead of another hour in front of the computer is an excellent way to introduce to work life balance.
Or a hot bath with a glass of wine.
Maybe going to bed earlier and reading a book.
Either way, what is important is that you make a little bit of time for yourself on a regular basis where you prioritize your own needs in life.
2. Build good habits
Replace your bad habits of junk food and too much alcohol with some good habits.
Go to bed earlier and sleep more – Sleeping has such an impact on our brains (and minds) the next day
Eat healthy – Junk food makes you feel lethargic, ill and bloated.
Drink less alcohol – You’ll sleep better and besides, no-one likes being hungover. Plus, alcohol makes you fat!
Exercise regularly – Not only is it good for your physical body, but it’s also a good way to get your “me time”.
Switch off the phone – Tik Tok and Twitter are very entertaining, but also addictive and toxic.
3. Set achievable goals
Unrealistic goals are impossible to achieve.
This will make you feel like a failure in your life, which has a very negative impact on your mind and your work life balance.
In contrast, setting goals you are able to achieve will make you feel more like a success.
4. Learn to prioritize what’s really important to you
Part of a work life balance is deciding what’s important to you, then prioritizing those things.
Make a point of prioritizing things that make you feel better, like a walk in the forest, a nice home cooked meal with a friend, or simply spending time with your family.
On the other hand, if you are trying to get promoted at work, as an employee it is important to prioritize those tasks that will help you achieve that goal.
Employers don’t need you to be constantly productive or spend long hours in the office, they generally prefer it if you spend your time on those tasks that benefit the company in some way versus just sending emails or clicking buttons/doing paperwork.
5. Simplify your life
Your environment has a big impact on your life.
Clutter makes me feel anxious, so I always need my house to be organized and tidy, especially now that I work from home more.
Mental clutter has the same effect.
If there is a task you are putting off, or a difficult conversation that you know you need to have with someone, it could add pressure to an already stressed and anxious mind.
You will struggle to focus at work, and could also impact your productivity.
Dealing with the issues that bother you or makes you feel stressed and anxious is a great way to start.
Also reevaluate all areas of your life.
Do you really need to say yes to every opportunity at work? Do you really need to go out every evening of the week just to maintain your social circle? Is belonging to a cycle club, a running club, a book club and a wine club taking up too much time and energy that can be better spent on other areas of your life?
In other words, declutter your social engagements!
Then declutter your calendar at work. I bet you have lots of meetings you don’t need to attend.
6. Learn to say NO
By learning to say no, you are prioritizing yourself.
When other people do this we really respect them for it, but most of us are too scared to do it.
Be respectful while doing it, but definitely do it.
I have way too many pointless meetings in my calendar which impacts my productivity.
And often I feel bad saying no to something as simple as someone asking for a lift. But then I just resent the situation and the person the whole day.
It makes me think negatively of them, and certainly does not lead to a healthy relationship with that person.
Then I’ll spend the whole weekend thinking about it and it will upset my balance.
7. Start a hobby
Hobbies are a great way to become more mindful.
Hobbies give us a moment where we switch off from the rest of the world for a while and allow our minds to have a moment of creativity, and rest and peace.
Hobbies also make us feel creative (knitting, painting, wood/leather crafts), or allows us to socialize (cycling/running clubs).
8. Learn a new skill
Learning a new skill not only keeps the mind sharp, but it promotes creativity.
And often we make new friends along the way.
9. Go on an adventure
When we are young, we have so many dreams. From travelling to far flung places or learning to heli-ski.
Do something crazy and finally go on that adventure you have always dreamed about.
In other words, tick a few things off your bucket list now instead of waiting until you are dying!
How can we maintain balance in our life?
The truth is finding permanent balance is impossible.
As your career takes off, you will probably enjoy your job more, so you will spend more time on it at the expense of spending time with friends or family.
Spending long hours in the office will become the norm and while it will make you happy to spend so much energy on
On the other side of the coin, when you fall in love, your productivity will probably start going down as you spend more hours with your new love interest.
While your happiness will increase, on a professional level you may end up regretting it.
Conclusion
Which of these tips will you try first?
I love learning new skills.
In fact, my pasta maker just arrived in the post today.
Tonight I’m going to learn how to make pasta.
It makes me giddy with excitement and as a bonus, my homemade pasta is sure to impress my friends and my boyfriend.
