Live in Balance: Why is Balance Important?

As I talk more and more about pursuing big goals and dreams, one piece of feedback I get is this…

“I’d love to pursue my big goals, but I can’t even keep up with my day-to-day responsibilities.  I’m so overwhelmed!  When I’m at work I feel guilty I’m not home, and when I’m at home I feel guilty I’m not working.  How can I find balance?”

Does that resonate for you?  Are you too overwhelmed with the day-to-day to even think about your big goals and dreams?  

If so, this month’s theme is perfect for you!  We will be focusing on work life balance and specifically how to live in balance.

Why is balance important?

If you haven’t felt it first hand, I’m sure you’ve read about the negative impacts of stress, overwhelm and anxiety.  The constant pressure to be fully present with our work responsibilities while also being fully present with our personal responsibilities creates a constant and chronic state of stress and overwhelm that negatively impacts our health, relationships, and performance.

Health and Well Being:

The chronic stress from a lack of work life balance can disrupt your hormones leading to weight issues, high blood pressure, inflammation, and a myriad of other health conditions.  The body was not created to live in a constant state of chronic stress.  When we continually put the body in fight or flight conditions, we flood the brain with hormones which has a negative impact on the body’s systems.  Often, in our clinic, Dr. Thoma sees health issues that have developed as a result of chronic stress.  When you learn how to reset your stress response and find ways to balance your stress hormones, you can change the trajectory of your health and wellness.

Family & Other Relationships:

If you are at home, either working from your phone, or worried that you should be working, how present are you with your friends and family?  Our always on culture, thanks to work from home and digital tools, has led to a blurry line between work and home that didn’t used to exist.  Our families are now interrupted by constant distractions and distracted family members.  We have lost our ability to connect and sometimes even find the connection of our relationships as a ‘wasting time’.  We’ve all been in the situation where you respond a little more harsh than intended because you are not focused on the present and are instead worried about other scenarios.  Your inability to manage the work life balance relationship can have a detrimental impact on your family and other relationships.

Work Performance:

If you are at work, and you are missing out on a family event, or worried you aren’t supporting your family as you should, how present are you in your work performance?  Again, distraction become a key effect of lack of balance.  Our best work is performed when we are able to devote deep thought and focus.  While we will always have work interruptions, when you throw family interruptions, or stress around the lack of family/life time you are able to devote, your work performance will most certainly decrease.  Additionally, the health and hormone issues previously discussed also lead to brain fog, fatigue, and susceptibility to illness.  Of course these health issues will also lead to negative impact on your work performance.

Convinced that taking a deeper look at work life balance is worth the effort?  Then join me for this month’s coaching program.  For the first week we will be discussing more about the impact of lack of balance, the benefits of finding balance, and helping you decide how you want balance to look in your life.  The first session is Thursday February 8th at 3pm MST.  You can register at www.Purawell.com/balance.  The coaching sessions are free but you do need to be registered to attend.  See you then.