A lot of people struggle with having proper balance between their lives and their work. It can be easy, especially in our always on the go, keep pushing for more, and goals/financially motivated society to feel like work is allowed to take over our lives. But a work-life balance is important. There are a lot of potential negative consequences that can happen when we don’t prioritize our lives outside of work more than or at least as much as our lives at work.

What IS a Work-Life Balance, Anyways?

Simply put, work-life balance is when you’re able to balance your work priorities and obligations with the things you both need and want to do outside of work. It means meeting your deadlines or work goals while also investing time in yourself, getting things done at home, and spending time with the ones you love.

This is going to look different for everyone! We all have our own hierarchy for what matters most to us. This can also change over our lives. What we prioritize at 25 is likely going to look different for when we’re 35. So this is definitely something to assess over time to make sure your work-life still aligns with your needs, values, and goals.

Consequences of Being Out of Balance

Stress, to put it simply, can be one of the most immediate consequences of not having a good work-life balance. Stress can then go on to affect us in other ways.

Like:

Irritability
Depression
Aches and pains, like headaches
Stomach problems
Relationship issues
Productivity problems
More likely to become ill
Blood pressure and other heart problems
Exacerbate chronic health conditions
Trouble sleeping
Problems with eating (too much or too little)
Overspending or risky behavior to cope with stress
Substance use (like drinking more than usual) to cope with stress
Burnout

And that’s not even an exhaustive list! However, it’s clear to see how having a poor work-life balance can affect you not just at home, but at work, too. Looking at the list, it makes it clear how counterproductive it is to focus solely on work at the expense of your mental and physical health. It’ll only affect your work poorly, too!

What Can I Do?

Working on achieving a better work-life balance is going to depend pretty heavily on your specific goals and priorities. However, the first step will be the same for everyone. Step back and really consider how you spend your time every day and every week. Are you happy with it? What areas do you wish you could spend more time in? Is it hobbies, family, or something else? Once you have answers to these questions, it’s easy to see where to tweak things to bring things more in balance with what you personally are looking for in life.

For example, if you feel like you bring work home with you a lot, either literally (finishing paperwork, emailing, etc) or mentally (worrying about projects, thinking about responsibilities, etc) then it may be time to consider setting some boundaries around work when you’re at home. If it’s simply not possible to not bring physical work home with you, set yourself a time limit for how much you’ll spend on it each day. This can help you balance out how you spend the rest of your day.

Do you feel overwhelmed with what you have to do at home? Enlist help from those who live with you, if possible. Splitting up chores so it doesn’t all fall on one or two people who also have busy work lives can really help with alleviating the feelings of “work never ends”, even if it isn’t your job that seems to be following you around.

If you feel comfortable and safe to, talk to your boss or co-workers. You may be surprised to know that others at work also feel the same way you do. Working together to come up with a better workplace culture that can support a healthier work-life balance for everyone can be more effective than trying to tackle it alone.

If even after working on getting your life more balanced you still feel like you’re struggling with stress, overwhelm, depression, or other negative feelings then consider reaching out to a therapist.