What is your impression of work-life balance? Is your goal to create this ‘balanced lifestyle’ actually increasing your stress level? A lot of people find work-life balance a completely unrealistic goal that is impossible to achieve. Many find life demands are simply keeping them too busy to take time to relax.
As we have discussed before, stress can cause heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and immunity issues. Statistics Canada says that 1 in 4 adults reported high stress in 2013, and high stress means that your mental and physical health are declining.
The good news is that this is preventable. We simply need to change how we define “work-life balance” and create plans that will help reduce stress based on our individual situations. The following video from our OT-V (Occupational Therapy Video) series will help shed light on how to create a healthy balance without increasing stress or guilt if this balance is not achieved every day.
Remember Occupational therapists know the evidence behind de-stressing, and which activities give you the most bang for your buck when you’re low on time. Contact an OT if you need help de-stressing and creating balance in your life.