With travel restrictions, lockdown and quarantine, the healthy boundary between work and life has been blurred. We speak to experts on how to achieve work-life balance during these trying times
The coronavirus pandemic has affected the way we live. From feeling more stressed or anxious, heightened feeling of loneliness and increased burnout, we're all trying to navigate the new normal under these unprecedented times. It comes as no surprise that our work-life balance is also affected especially how the traditional way of "work" has changed and how isolation and quarantine have stopped us short from doing things that we enjoy.
To better understand how we can find our footing during these times, we sought two experts––leadership and life coach, Monica Browning and Kathy Caprino, leadership consultant, author and featured contributor for Forbes––on advice on how to achieve work-life balance.
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What is work-life balance?
Kathy: Work-life balance, in my view, in an embodiment of our ability to manage and negotiate our many (often conflicting) desires, wants and responsibilities in a way that enlivens us rather than depletes and drains us. It requires strong boundaries, and a strong sense of self-love and self-acceptance, as well as the ability to say “no” to what we don’t want, without drowning in guilt and fear.
Monica: It is the ability to find an acceptable and happy equilibrium between time and energy spent on ‘work’-related activities versus how we spend our time and energy outside of ‘work’ (and this ‘work’ may be paid or unpaid). The ability to create a life or lifestyle that is optimal for you.
Why is work-life balance important?
Kathy: Without the ability to balance how you work and how you manage your life outside of work, your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health suffers. One of the most damaging regrets is "I wish I hadn’t worked so hard and missed out on so much". So many men and women in middle age share that they regret what they’ve missed out on in life, by working so hard. They missed so much and sacrificed so much to pursue work goals that now feel meaningless and empty.
Monica: As individuals, without our health, life can be a struggle and can feel hard and be debilitating. A healthy work-life balance can mean reducing or avoiding some of the consequences for the individual for example:
- Fatigue, stress, burnout or other mental health issues
- Ineffective use of time and lower productivity
- Lack of confidence and lower self-esteem, self-belief in one’s own abilities (feeling like you can’t cope)
- Difficulty managing personal relationships or family relationships
Having a healthy work-life balance can also contribute to us feeling more valued both inside and outside of the workplace. If your employer values that you need time to care for a sick relative (or even care for yourself) and gives you the time and support to do what you need to, you will inevitably feel better about who you work for and even be willing to go the extra mile for them. The same can be said for our partners, friends and families.