A balanced life is about more than the much-cited "work-life balance". After all, this term assumes that we only have two domains: work and private life.
It is better to speak of life domain balance, a balance of all areas of life: Work, family, social contacts, clubs, sports, leisure activities, continuing education, volunteering, time for yourself, etc.
Identify Your Important Life Domains
Everyone can find their life balance, even if it is sometimes not easy. Employees Switzerland advises you: Start by recognizing your areas of life correctly and distinguish them from each other.
Each Phase of Life Has Its Own Balance
A balanced life does not mean dividing your time evenly between all areas of your life. Some are more important to you than others. The weighting may also change over the years.
But do not neglect any area of your life. An imbalance robs you of energy, affects your quality of life and makes you unhappy.
8 Tips for Your Balance
Once you know which areas of your life are important to you and how, you can go about balancing them. The following tips from the health insurer Helsana will help you find the ideal balance.
- Take time for your personal interests. Being there for others is very noble and can give you satisfaction. But never forget yourself. Allow yourself the time to pursue your own personal interests. Make appointments with yourself for things that are good for you.
- Don't let yourself get stressed. You may feel that stress is the only way to juggle everything. But the stupid thing is: You can only be either stressed or balanced. You can't be both at the same time. So slow down and follow tips 4, 5 and 6. You can find more tips for dealing with stress on the Helsana website.
- Have courage for gaps. You can never do everything anyway. Concentrate on the essentials. Leave out what doesn't satisfy you, what you don't enjoy and what is of no use to anyone anyway. Delegate things that others can do.
- Take regular breaks. You can stay more focused on something if you take regular breaks. Even micro-breaks of a few seconds or a few minutes work wonders. Take a few micro-breaks per hour and a longer break every few hours. You can increase the effect of the breaks by exercising or meditating. Also, consciously pause for your meals.
- Be aware of the boundaries between the areas of your life. You need to be clear about how far you want to separate your work life from your personal life. Think about what your needs are and what strategies work for you to be healthy and productive. Think further about what this can mean for collaboration on your work team.
- Nurture your friendships. Never neglect your friends because of work and other commitments. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing them. They will also stand by you when you are not doing so well. Set aside time for socializing
- Exercise. Physical exercise is one of the best ways to find your mental balance. It relieves tension and releases happy hormones. Schedule times to exercise. You don't need to perform at peak levels, even long walks in nature will do the trick.
- Avoid "multitasking." No one can do two or more things at the same time. Therefore, tackle only one task at a time and work on it with concentration. So that you don't forget the other tasks, make yourself a to-do list. Set realistic daily goals and milestones. Complete difficult tasks first. Consider your personal performance curve when planning.
Don't Put Pressure on Yourself
Some of these recommendations will be easy to implement, others less so. Some are a good fit for you, some are a bad fit. Just don't put too much pressure on yourself or you'll get stressed.
Take Advantage of Offers
Many companies have offers that help you keep your balance. Be it fitness equipment or rest rooms. Use them!
Employees Switzerland offers you various courses on the topic of health. They help you to balance the different areas of your life.
