Work is important, so is life | Work life balance
03 September, 2018 (Consolace Counselling Services)
Importance of work-life balance
Whoever has said, “Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” has said it so well. In this fast paced life, no one has enough time to spare to do things other than their usual work. The 24/7 work routine has sucked the life out people and has made them live a monotonous robotic life. It is high time that we sit back and introspect our misconceptions. Let us have a look at a few misconceptions that has led to this work-life imbalance.
If only there were more hours in the day!
This is the usual excuse one uses when he/she sees losing his/her personal life while running to win the professional race. The fact is one always has time for his priorities. If you say, you don't get enough time to spend with family, to go out with friends, to read your favourite novel or to do anything which you really like; it is time to reassess your goals and set your priorities right.
Time is money!
This wise old proverb means time is precious and one should not waste it. But today people are attributing a different meaning to it. According to them, one should not waste time as it should be used to earn more money. They continuously work to improve their career possibilities so as to earn more money. Hence, they have no time to enjoy life. One should always work to live, not live to work.
Today, people working in both government and private sectors are lacking work-life balance. And this is true irrespective of the gender. As far as women are concerned, the task becomes even more difficult. It is not easy for a woman to juggle between personal and professional life and they often end up getting depressed, weak and physically unfit. Work-life imbalance creates a negative impact on an employee's personal and professional life. It leads to monotony at work place which in turn leads to lower levels of productivity. Stress and other physical ailments also crop up. It disrupts family relationships. In some cases, it may also lead to social hazards. We are seeing an increased number of divorce cases in Kerala today. In some way or the other, work-life imbalance has a major role to play in it.
How to get work-life balance?
You need not be a super human to work efficiently and at the same time manage family relationships while taking out some time for your hobbies. It might seem impossible for many of us to manage everything together. Here are some tips that will help you find the perfect balance.
- Set manageable goals: One can lessen the stress by simply having a control over work. You should set your goals in such a way that you are able to meet your priorities. This will give you a sense of satisfaction and you will feel much relaxed.
- Give yourself a break: Realise the fact that you are only a human and you can do only the best you can. Your body needs rest and you should not push yourself beyond the limits.
- Spend quality time with family and friends: You work hard so that your family can lead a comfortable life. If in the process, you forget to spend time with family and friends; all your hard work will be in vain.
- Seek help: There's nothing wrong in seeking help. There are many counselling centres in Kerala that will help you to win back the balance in life. Don't lose yourself in the race to achieve material success. For assistance, contact consolace counselling centre in Trivandrum.
Work-life balance is important for a happy and peaceful life. Seek help once you feel you are losing balance. Afterall, you live only once!
(Idea of this article is taken from the Malayalam article of Sandhya Rani published earlier 'IMA Nammude Aarogyam' Magazine July 2017. To read in Malayalam
click here)
