LEARN TO BALANCE WORK LIFE WITH OTHERS

The trying times are here and whiles it comes along with myriads of challenges and as well as opportunities, it is making it almost impossible to do most of the things we use to do. In these times of severe economic depression, a prime concern is having a regular job that guarantees sufficient income to cover the needs of the family. However, this is not always easy, especially when hundreds of thousands of workers are being laid off. If you are one who suddenly becomes unemployed, the challenge is to take vigorous action to find another job almost immediately to sustain yourself and your family.

Yet still, there is much more to life than hard work. No one on his or her deathbed will say, “I wish I had spent more time at work”. There are a lot of people who have gone through different types of trauma and almost all of them come out of these situations with a different attitude to life and how it should be lived with fun. None of them so far have expressed regret for the times that they have enjoyed before the incident. Such examples should give us an indication of what should be more important to humans than what we concentrate so much on. Living a satisfying, meaningful life obviously involves making time for secular work. But what else? For spiritual needs, for family, and for recreation. How can you care for other areas of life in a balanced way?

Working long hours without proper rest or recreation can deprive you of many joys in life. It can also lead to serious health problems.

Chronic work has been linked to obesity, alcoholism, heart disease, workplace accidents, drug dependency, anxiety, fatigue, depression, and many other stress-related disorders. Overwork can also be deadly. One report estimates that in Japan about 10,000 people die annually from overwork, as many as die in automobile accidents in that country each year. This phenomenon labeled karoshi, “death from overwork” stretches far beyond Japan.

Yes, balance is vital. Do not let your profession become your obsession. Protect your mental, physical, and emotional health by taking time to rest and enjoy the fruits of your labour with a little bit more of happiness outside work place.
We should learn to work to live and not live to work. Balancing work with rest and leisure will also help you care for the needs of your family. But this is not easy, especially when you have fees and bills to pay each week or month.

If even we think we can’t, you should gradually learn to balance work with family life. Today many families are over-scheduled and under-connected. Work now tends to squeeze most of the energy from parents whiles the kids then gets the little of what is left with the minimal time they spend with their parents and guardians.

Its time to assess yourselves and identify whatever is causing too pressure in your work environment and reexamine your priorities in order to make the necessary changes to balance work life with other important lifestyles most especially the family.

All the same, it is understandable that most families have a hard fight just to cover monthly expenses. Some spouses have to work long hours and if possible have to take two or more jobs just to get by. Whiles leaving the children with family members or caretakers.

It is possible to find different ways of balancing work and family obligations. However, the key point is not forsaking the joys of family life by placing too much emphasis on work. Be assured that balancing your work, recreation, and family needs will bring you rich rewards that will be worth more than you might be enjoying now.