Importance of Work Life Balance
What's the importance of work life balance to you right now?
Your
description may well be a little different from other people simply because you
value different things than they do. But I suspect work life balance might be "off" for you.
Sometimes we don’t know what we have until we lose it. Executives, leaders, and professionals on the edge of burnout know they have lost something. That's what they tell me.
And they desperately want it back.
One leader kept a record of those
things he regained after dealing with burnout, in his quest to get back work life balance. It’s quite the list. I've inserted it below. Do
you see yourself in it?
Regaining Balance - The Benefits Received
Physical
- Began
exercising again
- Back
aches stopped
- Weekly
trips to the chiropractor stopped
- Panic
attacks kept diminishing to zero
- Got
to sleep easier
- Got
a better sleep and woke up more relaxed
- More
physical energy
- Sporadic
and strange aches and pains drastically decreased
- Skin
irritations stopped
Time
- Felt
like I got weekends
- Felt
like I got weeknights
- I
had choice about what I could do
- More
time to work on projects I cared about
Relationships
- More
positive relationships showed up
- My
mind wasn't preoccupied when with my wife
- My
mind wasn't preoccupied when with my children
- Time
to enjoy friends again
- Let
go of the emotional weight of problem people
Living Life
- Felt
more relaxed
- Able
to enjoy my hobbies
- Got
to join my wife working in the garden again
- Made
some long-needed and healthy decisions
- Established
clearer standards of who I would allow to take up my time and emotional energy
- Brought
my life into line with the truths I believed
Opportunity
- Dreaming
about possibilities again
- Got
to take what I learned and help others
- Became
alive to God opening up new doors of possibility
Emotional
- More
contentment with my circumstances
- Brighter
outlook on life
- Felt
like my emotional energy was being renewed
- Sense
of regaining control (in the good sense)
- Relief
from the pressure of continuous worry
Reflecting on A Journey Through Burnout
You didn't get into burnout overnight and you won't get out overnight. Here
are some more specific reflections from this professional.
- When it came to living life in general I felt
more relaxed. Who is to say what the greatest benefit is but this one stands
out. You can’t live with adrenaline levels always on high. You need to feel
relaxed and able to regroup, like you have had some down time in the midst of a
busy life. I got that back.
- I was able to enjoy a hobby again. I could
get out to do projects and relax. I was able to mow the lawn and do all those
small maintenance items that a property and house needs.
- I made some long-needed and healthy
decisions. We always tried to eat healthy, and we committed to this even more.
I became much more aware of the need of correct exercise to keep myself in
shape and healthy.
- I regained time to be by myself to recharge
and to reflect. Until all this happened, I tried to find time to dream and
plan. Then that time just evaporated in the everyday struggle of what I had to
do. I think reflection is one of the key aspects of leadership. It was squeezed
and now the possibility of it was open again.
- Emotionally I became more content with my circumstances. Some of the
things I had found myself resisting and complaining about looked different and
I could rest with them. I had a brighter outlook on life. I felt like my
emotional energy was being renewed. That gave me a sense of regaining control
and a relief from the pressure of worry.
- Once again, I was experiencing the freshness
of front-line leadership and business. More often than not, I relished and
anticipated it. Really, I was just able to get on with it in a whole new and
refreshed way.
- I really did not believe that God had an
agenda to burn me out. I began experiencing a fresh willingness to let Him make
needed changes in me, to allow Him to take care of me, and not tell him I was
too busy for it. All of this has given me a greater appreciation of God’s love
for me in my everyday circumstances.
How to obtain the benefits of work life balance.
What This May Mean for You
The account of this leader shows the importance of work life balance in his life. He knew it had been compromised. After dealing with burnout he felt he gained back so much. So, how does his experience relate to you?
- For some, dealing with burnout may mean
finally realizing that you are mismatched with the career you are currently in.
- For many others, it will mean changing some
of your thinking and the way you do things, in order to be more effective
moving forward.
- And for others it will mean responding to
that toxic environment or person putting so much strain on you.
You can read more about balance and performance here.
The Importance of Work Life Balance
I take particular satisfaction in seeing individuals and organizations doing well and knowing I have made a significant contribution to that happening.
I take no satisfaction in seeing men and women experiencing sustained overload or burnout when there is a way through it.
Should you choose to access one on one executive coaching to deal with your burnout you can rest assured your time with me will be private, confidential and productive. I invite you to contact me.
I want to see you beat burnout, work more effectively, and thrive.
Contact me here Privacy Policy
© G.E.Wood and Associates. All Rights Reserved in all media.
G.E. Wood and Associates is an international coaching firm registered in Ontario, Canada
142 Pratt Crescent, Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada, P1P 1P5