Practicing Your Work-Life Balance
Posted on July 9, 2007 - Filed Under Health, Deep Thoughts, Consumerism |
Okay, so we all know that more isn’t always better, but do we actively practice living more simply? I was reading an article in The Washington Post titled, “Breaking Free of Suburbia’s Stanglehold” this past week and was pleasantly surprised at a change that is occuring in the DC Metro Area. Families were discussing how they have practically scheduled the fun and happiness out of their lives. They’d purchased McMansions they couldn’t afford and had scheduled every second of their lives around every sport and club they could possibly enroll their children in and it was taking a toll on their lives. In the pursuit of their American dream they mistakingly thought that filling their lives with material items would provide them with a fulfilled life.
I have been running late to yoga class numerous times and in a rush to be on time I drive like a madwoman to the studio and angrily search for parking. I jog to the studio, hurl my shoes in the cubby, and practically sprint to a spot to unroll my mat. Only after the class has begun and we are doing our beginning centering exercises, do I start to remember that yoga is not just the hour and fifteen minutes in a studio, it’s one part of the balancing act we do daily: our work-life balance.
Our global society, when asked what they want out of life, usually says their goal is to be happy; yet when asked if they are, many indicate they just don’t have enough time to do the things that make them happy. Why do people not give themselves enough time to keep their life balanced? Maybe we don’t really know how to balance our life? Or maybe we don’t even know our life is out of balance? Everytime I see an aggressive driver careening through traffic, cursing at people for no reason, I always wonder: Does he know his life is out of whack? If so, does he care?
When I am happy at work, I am also happy with my life outside of work. When I am not happy at work, my life outside of work has definitely suffered. You find yourself relaying the day over in your head and telling anyone who will listen how your coworkers are brainless and should be fired. I have definitely been down this road and made a decision to never do that again. How did I do it? Slowly. I basically decided that I have free will. I accept that I will always have situations in my life that make me angry, but I am actively choosing to positively solve these situations if I can, and if I can’t, I decide if it’s too much to deal with. If I hate my job, I have given myself permission to quit my job.
Just as one practices anything: the piano, cooking, or even yoga; we often forget that the major activities we do everyday sometimes still require us to practice. Just because you drive everyday does not mean you are a good driver.
An awareness of the stress that our modern lives endure has become prominent in more recent years. Sometimes I feel as though we have become so used to the daily stress that we are unaware, or desensitized, to the possible causes. We have learned to ignore the Iraq War or the Hurrican Katrina disaster and go on with our daily lives as though everything is alright. On one hand, I do understand that living a “normal” life helps us cope with certain situations, but another aspect that I have come to consider is that confronting stresses in your life by talking about them, dealing with them, whatever you need to do, is often just as healthy in shaking off the stress that can be a daily burden.
So cut yourself some slack and give yourself permission to remove any negative obstacles in your life and replace them with something good for you, something that will boost your mood and get your endorphins flowing. And don’t forget it’s the balance in your daily life that can bring you that daily peace.
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