Stress management has become a priority for many people, as more healthcare professionals report that chronic stress can lead to all sorts of ailments and illnesses.
Work environment, unattainable goals, peer pressure, dwindling economy and the uncertainty that follows can certainly cause restlessness within the workplace.
- Have you been working more than you should?
- Do you feel burned out?
- Stressed out beyond what you can handle?
The first step in balancing your life out is to recognize and admit that you’ve been overworking. And, that extra work has been causing you undue stress.
The next step is to learn how to manage stress and make a commitment to doing whatever it takes to find more of a work/life balance.
The following tips can help you reduce work-related stress and give you some ideas to stay balanced when it comes to work and home life.
Overworking? 7 Tips To Help You Balance Work & Home
Have a Conversation With Your Boss
If you have a boss, have a thoughtful conversation with them about how you’re feeling overworked. If you’re putting in far more hours than you know you can handle, be honest about it. They may be quite understanding and reduce some of your hours.
If you’re self-employed and you’re putting in so many hours that you’re out of balance, you’ll have to make a firm commitment to cut back. This is something you have to decide – and follow through with. If you need to hire help, give yourself permission to do so.
This can help you get more balanced, and it may even help you become more productive in the long run. After all, when you’re exhausted, you just aren’t as productive as you would be if you were well-rested.
Learn to Relax While At Work
Work pressure and deadlines are inevitable, but getting stressed out or angry won’t solve anything. Take a deep breath and relax. Repeat this throughout your day. The problems you are facing may not as bad as you think.
If you have to take a few minutes for yourself, take a short walk around the block or go to the break room for peace and quiet. Rejuvenate yourself. Remember that a peaceful, positive attitude is contagious. When you get your work and home life in balance, this is a great example for others too.
Plan Your Time
If you’re overworking, you’re going to have to look at your schedule and make changes that will suit you. This will require planning and organization. Procrastination will only cause you to feel more stress, so do your best to spread your projects out inside of leaving them all for those panicked last minutes.
If you’re being asked to do things you just don’t have time for, say so. Be honest about it and let your manager know that you’re doing your best. Make a priority list each week and do your best to stick to it. If you cannot attend to all of your tasks, ask for some help.
Discuss With Someone
If you find out that there’s nothing your boss can do to reduce your hours, it could cause you even more stress.
If it becomes too much for you to handle, consider discussing the situation with a mentor or therapist. There may be things you can do to better accept your current situation, or you can begin making plans to find a different job that’s less stressful.
Take Time to Unwind After Work
After a long day at work, take time to unwind and relax before switching to your evening obligations. With the hustle and bustle of life, it is important to take some time after work to focus on you before trying to give your attention to your family or friends. There are plenty of ways to do this.
This could be as simple as taking the long way home and listening to an audiobook. Or keeping your runners in the car and hitting your favorite trail before you grab groceries for dinner. Have your favorite drink chilling in the fridge so you can grab it and head to the backyard with your dog as soon as you get home.
Whatever it is, and even if it’s just 15 minutes, taking time to unwind in a way that makes you feel more relaxed will make a huge difference.
Take Time For Silence
It’s easy to work hard all day and then stay in work mode all evening. Your brain can get used to being in “fast pace” mode. Therefore, you’ll have to make yourself commit to slowing your pace down once you get home.
A great way to do this is to take some time to just sit in silence and breathe. This gives your nervous system a chance to relax, which will help your body to let go and calm down.
If you enjoy meditation, take time to do this once you get home to get into relax mode. Take five, ten, or fifteen minutes and just focus on letting every muscle relax. It can help your mind and body to have a better evening and feel less stressed out.
Try our A 7-Minute Soothing Meditation You Can Do Anywhere
Ask for Help at Home
While you work through finding the balance at work, there may be more you can do to ease your load at home.
If you live alone, what can you cut back on to give yourself more of a break when you need it? Guess what, chores will still be there next week and you can get by with a sandwich for dinner when you’re really feeling it.
If you live with others, let them know you’re struggling and ask for help!
If you have kids, this could be a great time to teach them the responsibility of contributing to the household. We’re not talking teaching your 3-year-old to make a gourmet meal, but they could probably help you set the table or bring their laundry basket downstairs. If you have a roommate, see if you can take turns making meals or grocery shopping.
Nothing will change if you don’t let people know how you feel and ask for help.
Learning the Art of Balance
Balancing work and home is something you can learn.
If you’ve picked up the habit of overworking, you can also unlearn that habit and replace it with balance. It will take a commitment and it may take you trying different things out.
The key thing to remember if you are overworked is that you have permission to do something about the fact that you’re working more than you can handle.
There’s nothing wrong with hard work, but if you’re overworking or addicted to work, that can cause you to suffer undue stress – stress that you need to make the effort to eliminate.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published Mar 28, 2021 and has been updated to improve reader experience.
