Work-life balance

If you look for it, you'll find it

Finding a harmonious work-life balance at this stage of your life is no simple feat. Spending more time at work than home means you may miss out on a rewarding personal life and when you face challenges in your personal life (such as coping with marital problems) concentrating on your job can be difficult. When your work life and personal life feel out of balance the resulting stress can wreak havoc.

The good news is that you can take control and give yourself time to do all the things that are important. First, you need to recognise how the world of work has changed, then you can evaluate your relationship to work and apply some specific strategies for striking a healthier balance.

In the past, the boundaries between work and home were clear. These days, thanks to computers and email, we take our work home and on holidays with us, meaning the boundary has become blurred. As increasing numbers of skilled workers enter the global market and companies outsource more jobs to reduce labour costs, we feel pressured to work longer and to produce more, simply to protect our jobs. If we want to climb the career ladder, we may find ourselves working more than our agreed hours to achieve and maintain expectations.

Keep your life goal in mind

With so many demands on our time it can feel difficult to strike that all-important balance but you need to have a goal, to make time for the activities that are important. Creating balance is a continuous process and one you must work at because demands on your time are constant.

Examine your priorities and set boundaries. Be realistic about what you can and cannot do, otherwise you might be setting yourself up for disappointment. After all, you're the only one who can restore harmony to your life.

While you may not be aware of it, stress can affect every aspect of your wellbeing. Your body, mind, emotional self and actions are all sensitive to stress. Sometimes, potentially serious health problems can be caused by stress. Swisse^¥Δ Ultiboost Mood can assist with the symptomatic relief of nervous tension, anxiety, stress and mood swings.

Manage your anger

Sometimes anger enters our lives and causes undue stress. Anger is healthy in moderate doses - it's how we manage it that's important. Essentially, anger is a warning bell that tells us something is wrong. While it may feel unpleasant it's a totally normal, healthy emotion. It only becomes problematic if we don't mange in a healthy way or it becomes excessive.

Expressing ourselves in an assertive, rather than aggressive manner is the healthiest approach to anger. Being assertive means we state our concerns clearly and directly, without hurting or trying to control others.

Remember too that adequate nutrition plays an important role in helping cope with stress. Make sure you start every day with breakfast. Breakfast not only gives the boost to blood sugar levels fundamental to energy production, but also it's a great example to your children.

¥Always read the label. Use only as directed. ΔVitamin supplements may only be of assistance if the dietary vitamin intake is inadequate.