Imbalance doesn’t have to crush our dreams

I have a lot of praise for wellness programs that talk about work-life balance because I feel like we don’t hear enough about it despite our fast-paced world. Mindmekka breaks it down into its basic element: willpower. Simply put, this is about controlling impulses and using your willpower to work towards bigger goals in favor of getting instant gratification, or conversely, overworking and wearing ourselves down, which helps no one. The perspective offered by Mindmekka is refreshing. I like they refer to willpower as a resource rather than something we’re expected to materialize out of nowhere. And the concept of “decision fatigue” is so spot on.

We all hear the words “work-life balance” often in our adult lives. But if you’re anything like me or heck, if you’re a normal person, it’s a difficult thing to actually maintain. How many of us have workaholic family members who run themselves into the ground? How many of us ARE those workaholic family members who run themselves into the ground? I can shamefully raise my hand to that. Just like any addiction, especially the addiction to anxious thoughts and worries, it can be really challenging to have a healthy balance between work and personal life. Oftentimes, not only my life but basic self-care gets put on the backburner because I freak out so much about making deadlines, paying rent, etc. 

And when self-care gets ignored, we eventually burn out. It’s not a cute place to be. The adrenal fatigue alone can put those of us with health issues to begin within urgent care or weaken our defenses so that we end up sick. 

On the other end of it, if the imbalance goes the opposite way, we favor our own satisfaction so much that we sacrifice work time and other goals for anything to help us escape our misery. 

Listen to How To Find The Perfect Work-Life Balance and more self-improvement audio programs on Audiojoy — download free on iOS or Android.