Lori Korthals, Human Sciences Specialist in Family Wellness
When you’re busy juggling work, family, social life, health goals, and other obligations, balancing these competing areas of your life may seem exhausting or impossible. We’ve likely heard about work-life balance over this past year, but how many of us can say we have taken the opportunity to stop, breathe and evaluate our own work-life balance goals?
October is National Work and Family Month in the United States. Established in 2003 by U.S. Senate resolution, it was meant to promote more flexible work environments and encourage better balance in work-life commitments.
While some stress can help in driving our successes, the key to managing stress is finding balance. Without balance, our stress levels can continue to rise, decreasing our productivity, increasing moodiness, and wreaking havoc on our immune systems and overall health. It’s easy to let more and more stress creep into our lives as we strive to achieve perfection; however, the side effects of too much stress are too detrimental to ignore.
National Work and Family Month is a good time for a work-life balance self-check. Let’s take this month to check in with ourselves and perhaps hit the reset button as we determine what work-life balance looks like for us individually.
The following are tips for exploring optimal work-life balance.
• Ask yourself, “Are my goals realistic?” You are more likely to succeed if you set attainable goals in all areas of life. There are only 24 hours in each day; be realistic about the workload you can manage along with your personal goals.
• Identify essential tasks; eliminate unessential tasks. Do you really need to accomplish all the tasks on your to-do list? If your list includes “should do” tasks, are they essential to your wellbeing? Do they add value or undue stress? Could someone else handle these tasks?
• Take an electronic break. Technology is great, but many times we feel the need to always be ’on’ and readily available to everyone. Schedule some regular time for you and your family to unplug from your devices and reconnect with enjoyable hobbies and with nature. During theworkday take a 15-minute break away from the office, without your cell phone, and go for a walk with a coworker.
• Schedule time for you. When there’s an open block of time on our calendar, it’s easy to fill it with something that may not add to our wellbeing. If you have a hard time seeing open blocks of time on your calendar, then schedule regular ‘me time’ and use that time to refill your energy bucket by doing an activity you enjoy.
• Get moving. Being physically healthy helps to reduce stress levels. Find time each day to do something physical. It doesn’t have to be the same each day – go for a walk one day and play basketball the next. Make sure to choose a physical activity you enjoy. You’re more likely to make
a habit when you enjoy what you’re doing, and it doesn’t feel like work.
• Be flexible. Establishing new habits takes time, and sometimes after a while a new habit isn’t right for you. It’s important that goals be flexible, and you give yourself some grace. We’re all human and we’re all trying to navigate life with no road map. If a goal needs to change or you find something isn’t working for you, reset yourself. Ask those around you to help you on your journey.
• Identify your resources. Do not be afraid to ask for help. That might mean asking your employer whether a flexible work schedule is possible or if there is an Employee Assistance Program. Help also can mean reevaluating household chores and redistributing responsibilities across the family. There are helplines, blogs, and other resources available to help you find a balance that is right for you.
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offers a series of “Stress: Taking Charge” resources in the online Extension Store (https://store.extension.iastate.edu/) to help you navigate your stress at various stages of life. Iowa Concern Hotline is a resource available to all Iowans, offering 24/7 support for individuals seeking stress counseling, legal education, and those with financial concerns. Call or text 800-447-1985 to access Iowa Concern.
If remote work is an option with your employer, and you could benefit from this flexibility, consider setting yourself up for success by participating in the Remote Work Certificate Course (https://www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/remote-work) offered through Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
For additional information on mental health, visit Mental Health America, https://mhanational.org/.