Think about the term “work life balance.” What comes to mind? You may completely scoff at the phrase and think that work life balance doesn’t exist. That’s because, in many parts of society today, work life balance is looked down upon.
According to a Harvard Business School survey, 94 percent of respondents who work in the consultancy, banking, IT and law industries reported working 50 or more hours a week. These professionals, as well as first responders and those who work in the healthcare industry, expect to have to put their jobs first.
Of course, everyone has worked extra hours from time to time. Sometimes, it’s just unavoidable. But beyond a certain point, working long hours without any semblance of a work life balance results in consequences that affect everyone.
From significant drops in productivity and careless or sloppy work performance to health problems like sleep deprivation and depression, working long hours is unhealthy personally and operationally.
Work life balance is even more crucial if you’ve been tempted to use drugs to take the edge off, struggled with substance abuse before or are trying to maintain your recovery after treatment. But how do you do it?
In this article, we’ll review 5 work life balance tips that can help you stay healthy and prioritize time off of work, even on your busiest days.
Work Life Balance Tips to Follow
Whether you’re a business professional or a surgeon, we know your career is important to you. But at the end of the day, your life should be more than just your job. With work life balance, you’ll be healthier, get more sleep, be more productive at work and have more time to spend with your family or take part in the hobbies you love.
Here’s 5 ways you can work to achieve work life balance:
1. Set Strict Meeting End Times
Meetings don’t always end when they’re supposed to. But that’s because we aren’t always as productive as we should be during scheduled meetings. There may be small talk at the start of the meeting or there may not be clear directives to keep the meeting going. To help you get out of work on time, make sure all your meetings include clear agendas and communicate to everyone involved that the meetings will end on time. This structure can help keep productivity high and ensure you don’t get stuck unnecessarily working overtime.
2. Get Enough Sleep Every Night
Did you know that people aged 18 to 64 need seven to nine hours of sleep every night? If you’re getting less than this, chances are you aren’t functioning to the best of your ability or giving your mind and body time to reset after a long day. Proper sleep gives you more energy and can help you avoid additional health risks like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, anxiety and depression.
3. Get Regular Exercise Every Day
The American Heart Association recommends that adults need 150 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 hours of high-intensity aerobic activity per week. No matter if you run, cycle or play sports, exercise improves your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing both at home and at work. In fact, taking time out of your day to exercise can actually help you be more productive in your workplace. If you’re struggling to find time to exercise, try going to the gym before or after work or attend a fitness class on your lunch break.
4. Participate in Stimulating Leisurely Activities
It’s easy to come home after a long day, collapse onto the couch and binge watch the latest show on Netflix. But to help you maintain your recovery and keep your mind stimulated, make sure to participate in valuable activities like drawing, reading or playing an instrument. These activities are more cognitively stimulating and can help improve your mood, concentration levels and blood pressure.
5. Practice Meditation and Mindfulness
How much are you aware of your thoughts and feelings throughout the day? It can be difficult to be in-tune with your body and mind when you’re constantly on the go. This is what meditation can help you with. Practicing meditation and mindfulness can help you unplug from work, breathe and be in the present moment. This is what you need to avoid burnout and manage any stress and cravings you may encounter throughout the day.
Find Work Life Balance at Footprints Beachside Recovery
At Footprints Beachside Recovery, we know how stressful and challenging your career can be. You have to keep business operations running smoothly or, in some cases, people’s lives are in your hands. The immediate reaction to stress and pressure is to work longer and harder. But you’ll actually gain more productivity when you have a healthy work life balance.
When you come to our family-owned and operated treatment center in Florida, we can help you regain a work life balance that promotes your wellbeing and aids in your addiction recovery journey. During treatment, you’ll learn why work life balance is important and develop new strategies and techniques to manage stress and workplace pressure.
Talk to one of our team members today to learn more about our treatment programs and how we can help you recover from addiction.
