Isis Monteverde: How to Achieve a Better Work-Life Balance
Isis Monteverde is a life coach and yoga teacher who takes a special interest in nutrition, mindfulness and meditation. This article will look at the topic of work-life balance, sharing strategies to reduce the risk of burnout and protect employees from mental illnesses like depression, stress and anxiety.
Achieving a healthy work-life balance is not just important but critical to a person’s health and wellbeing. A growing body of research on workplace wellbeing supports this, with data from the Mental Health Foundation suggesting that 14.7% of UK employees experience mental health problems in the workplace, and 12.7% of all UK sickness absences are attributable to mental health conditions.
A sustainable work-life balance means different things to some people. Some define it as prioritising work and homelife equally, while others view it as managing the negative impact of work stress on home life. Integrating professional and personal lives is an individual equation that is about much more than time spent at work versus time spent at home.
To achieve a healthy work-life balance, individuals need to define what matters most to them at this stage in their lives and careers. They then need to commit to the priorities they have identified and reassess the situation periodically, as priorities can change over time.
The myth that an equitable work-life balance is simply unattainable has unhealthy consequences for people, communities and organisations alike. Although it can be challenging to achieve, requiring workers to learn new skills and capacities while also balancing their lives in a way that is nourishing and sustainable is not only possible but crucial.
People spend a significant proportion of their lives at work. Research shows that the happiest people are those who are motivated and satisfied by their work, and whose roles reflect who they really are and their true nature and passions. It is therefore incredibly important for workers to carve out careers they find spiritually fulfilling rather than just financially rewarding.
The key to making big changes lies in breaking down processes into actionable steps. These incremental stages can add up to powerful changes in the long-term. Workers should scrutinise their working day, prioritising tasks that make an impact over those that eat away at their time and maximising the impact of every hour to enjoy better results.
It is vital for workers to put their health first, recognising that fatigue and mental exhaustion affect productivity. The key to achieving an equitable work-life balance lies in workers recognising that no one can do it all and learning to say no. In an increasingly digitised age, it is particularly important for workers to guard their downtime, setting clear boundaries and hitting the off button to protect their private time.
