Establishing a good balance between work and daily living is a challenge that all workers face. It can seem like an intangible goal as work can often dominate our lives. Experts agree that the compounding stress from the never-ending workday is damaging. It can hurt relationships, health and overall happiness.
The elusive work-life balance is difficult but essential to maintain as it is vital to protect our bodies & minds.
Here are some useful tips to help manage your work-life balance:
- Meditate daily: Incorporate simple meditation techniques into your daily routine like focusing on your breath or repeating simple mantras like Om. This can be done on rising, before sleeping or throughout the day, particularly if you’re feeling stressed. Read about the benefits of meditation.
- Early to bed, early to rise…: Go to bed as close to 10pm as you can and get up as early as you can. The liver detoxifies and the body does major repairs from 10pm-2 am. If you’re awake these functions are greatly hampered. Being in tune with natural bio rhythms is of great benefit both mentally & physically.
- Unplug: If you bring your smart phone or laptop to bed with you ask yourself if this is really necessary? Working from bed (before you sleep or as soon as you wake up) can adversely effect your sleep, mood and stress levels. A simple solution is to make your bedroom a phone & computer free zone.
- Have a simple supper: Have a smaller, warm, easy to digest evening meal at least 3-4 hours before you intend on sleeping. This allows enough time for your digestive system to process this meal. If you try to sleep whilst you’re still digesting food it is more difficult to sleep and your sleep will not be as restful.
- Strengthen your digestion: If you suffer from tiredness, bloating or indigestion you may need to change what you are eating or reduce your portion size. Optimum energy comes with good digestion.
- Make sure you’re eliminating well: Along with digestion, proper elimination is very important. (Stool should be passed daily 1-2 times, urine should be passed daily 5-6 times and not during the night. You should also sweat at least 2-3 times a week). If you eliminate a lot more or less than these figures you will be putting your health at risk.
- Breathe through your nose: This may sound simple but it’s surprising how many people are habitual mouth breathers. When you breathe through your nose, your breath deepens & slows down, your body relaxes & functions better. It’s important to use your nose for breathing all the time, even during exercise. If you find it difficult during exercise reduce the intensity. If your sinuses are blocked have a nasya or learn how to use a neti pot.
- Add a little Yoga: Add at least 10 mins of Yoga stretches to your daily routine. This will help to keep the mind and body both flexible and relaxed, improve circulation and reduce muscle stiffness. If you find that your job involves sitting for hours at a time try a few Yoga asanas throughout your working day.
- Lighten up: If you take work or life too seriously it will have detrimental effects on your health, so booking in fun activities during the week is vital to keep spirits up and stress at bay. Be it a cycle or walk with friends, a head massage or playing music it is very helpful to engage yourself in stress busting fun activities. Book it into your diary!
- Listen to your body: Never push yourself beyond your mental and physical limits as burnout is a common reality and difficult to recover from. If your workplace is toxic or you feel overwhelmed with your workload perhaps it’s time to make some changes.
- Journal your progress: Keep a nightly diary as a check list for things you’ve noticed in your digestion, diet, energy levels, elimination, mood etc. This simple exercise will increase your awareness and give you great support in creating a work-life balance.
If you are interested in learning more about wellness solutions for your workplace, check out our list of seminars and programs delivered on site. We can also run day long or half day retreats at a location of your choice. If you would like one on one support, book in for a consultation with one of our qualified practitioners.
About the author – Doug Hyde
Doug is an Ayurvedic practitioner, therapist & teacher and the co-owner of Satmya. He was first introduced to Ayurveda in 1998 and has pursued his passion for this ancient science ever since. Read more here
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