What is work-life balance, you might ask? Work-life balance (WLB) by definition is an individual’s ability to meet their work and family commitments, as well as other non-work responsibilities. However, this definition has a problem; we don’t often put mental health as a responsibility in our lives. Managing responsibilities is good practice for our lives, but leaving out our mental health can have dire consequences.

While WLB is easy to talk about, it comes with difficulties when actively implementing it into your life because these practices are subject to change from person to person. We each have our own responsibilities (social, mental, individual, financial, etc.) and with these responsibilities, we often feel we owe all of ourselves to each category. Even though holding to that standard is nearly impossible, we do it anyway! The obligation to provide all that we can to multiple aspects of our lives at all times, contributes to the difficulty of implementing WLB practices. The consequences of this practice can be:

• Poor work quality
• Changes in mood
• Feeling unfulfilled in life
• Less motivation
• Poor social skills
• Negative impacts on mental health

However, there are tips and tricks that can help! We can consciously practice putting ourselves first.

First is the idea of “out of mind, out of body”, inspired by Guy Winch in his Ted Talk about how to turn off work thoughts during our free time. When we are finished with a day of work, it’s important to put work aside. The often invasive work thoughts contribute stress to the non-work times that are meant to heal and relax us. Winch suggests we categorize areas in the house meant for work vs. areas for relaxation. For example, keep the bedroom and living room a work-free space and require work at home only be completed in a designated office area. If we complete work in all areas of the house (including the bedroom and living room), our mind will be in work-mode when in these areas, even when we are meant to be relaxing. The concept of letting things move through is helpful also, as we can ruminate on things at the end of the day: “If only I had…” or “I should have…”, etc. These invasive thoughts contribute to stress affecting our emotional well-being while also impacting our socializing. An important life skill not only in relationship to work, but all of life in general, is to accept that things happen the way they are meant to and we need to work with what we are given. Adopting this concept or resiliency when facing obstacles or struggles is important in prioritizing mental health.

The second, and most important tip, is to be honest with yourself; the best way to manage work-life balance is to recognize our own behaviors and thoughts in order to be present in the moment. If you notice that you’ve been stressed with an overload of school work/job work outside of the typical day, it is okay to allow yourself time to rest and catch up on mental rejuvenation and relaxation. Only you are aware of what you’re putting your body and mind through, so you are responsible for keeping yourself in check and recognizing when you may be pushing limits.

Coinciding with tip number two, is tip number three: feeling comfortable asking for help. The feeling of having to be the best performer in our field every second of the day, each day of the year creates unachievable and debilitating expectations. There is no shame or embarrassment surrounding the idea of needing time to manage our days and our mental health. Asking for help comes in many forms: asking to leave early, asking for an extension, asking to work from home for the day, etc. Considering making a small change focusing on ourselves without shame can improve our mood and mental health.

For students or those who work with students

College can be scary, as can life in general. However, aren’t we all looking for the same thing? We want to find success, we want to build strong relationships, and build a life of happiness for ourselves. With these desires in mind, we must also consider the route by which we attempt to obtain these qualities of life.

There is no doubt the stress on college students to succeed and find careers is tremendous. It’s quite easy to get caught up in the planning of our futures while students are in college. Students go to career fairs, take classes that will prompt career plans, network, etc.; it can be exhausting! With these constant stresses on students’ mind, an important life skill is to implement the practices of work-life balance. However, keep in mind that college is a prime time of students’ lives meant to explore themselves and find the things that bring enjoyment. Students need to have the freedom to deep dive these explorations, and not feel guilty about one bad exam grade or having to drop a class. As previously mentioned, things that occur in life tend to happen for a reason. Find the positive in these things and learn to build resiliency in order to continue improving not only as an adult, but as a human being.