How to have a Balanced Mental Health and Work-Life.

Written by Abiodun Apoeso

Mental Health and Work-life Balance

Some weeks ago, a friend I hadn’t spoken with in a long while called me. She contacted me previously in 2019 for help with a career change choice, and since then she’s been killing it in tech sales. It was great catching up with her, and I couldn’t help but sympathize with her as she described how the past year has been such a rollercoaster year, she feels as though she is just getting a breather, she told me 2021 will be the year she will be making her mental health and work-life balance a priority.

No jokes, this past year has been a tough and exhausting one for most of us. The Covid-19 pandemic ruffled all of our lives in so many different ways, and while we are happy that the vaccine deployment brings a sense of normality, we’re still very much at the center of it.

It’s no surprise that many of us have felt the impact of the past 12 months on our mental health. Apart from our personal lives, our work/business lives are mostly the place in which we’ve seen the biggest impact. Apart from the obvious increase in the numbers of people working from home, one common sentiment I’ve heard from so many people is that now that they are working from home, they are struggling to balance their work lives with their personal lives.

5 helpful tips on how to balance your mental health and work life.

SET BOUNDARIES AT YOUR WORKPLACE

Image source (https://www.criminalwatchdog.com/resources/skill-development/setting-boundaries-at-work/)

We all know how it can be very difficult to set boundaries at work. This is even more difficult if you are just starting a new career, or new at your current job or company. You want to do a good job, and prove that you are capable and that you can excel and do well at work/career.

Most times, we mix the desire to show that we are motivated and hardworking with the need to say “yes” every time.

This is probably different for everyone. You are probably saying “yes” to too many projects and exhausting your energy, time and spreading yourself too thin. You might have made yourself too available by always being eager to do the random work, no matter what time of day or night the work is being sent.

If you’re finding it difficult to set the right boundaries, it’s time that you start saying “no.”

If You’re Working From Home, Set Your Schedule As If You Were Going To The Office.

Image source (https://www.inc.com/john-rampton/15-ways-to-increase-productivity-at-work.html)

When you are working from home, it can be really difficult to take breaks from work, it always seems like you’re working 24/7. One of the most difficult things about working from home is that it eliminates all the normal structures that used to constitute our day-to-day activities.

Studies have shown that taking breaks can greatly improve your productivity, especially while focusing on a single task for long periods.

I have a friend who, every morning since March, has been taking a walk before work, or sometimes he’ll just get in his car and go for a drive. According to him, he feels significantly more ready for the workday after taking a walk or a short drive, and it has helped him feel more balanced now that his day-to-day lacks the structure of going to the office.

Detox From Your Cell Phone

Image source (https://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/top-10-health-benefits-digital-detox/)

This is surely one of the hardest things to do, but also one of the most important things you need to do to improve your mental health and work-life balance.

Let’s face it, most of us are mostly addicted to our mobile devices. “A study found that 47% of smartphone users state that they couldn’t live a day without their phone…” I was expecting the percentage to be higher!

It’s obvious that all through the pandemic, we’ve become more addicted to our mobile phones. Having been prematurely cut off from a lot of our normal norms and practices, our cell phones have become a place of refuge, to connect with friends and family, and to listen to important news. But even if we’re communicating with content that is informative or connections that are meant to make us happy, being addicted to our smartphones may not be the best thing for mental health.

Set Time For Personal and Professional Development

Image source (https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/10-ways-improve-your-time-management-skills.html)

To boost and improve your mental health and self-esteem, prioritize investing in a healthy work-life balance, you have to invest in yourself and make yourself a priority. By making time for personal and professional development outside of work, you make sure that you are improving and giving back to yourself on a regular basis. 

This time should primarily be about you and your self-development. Even if you are developing your professional skills, do so with the mindset that it is to build yourself, and not just to make yourself better at your job/career.

Making Sleep a Priority

Image source (https://234star.com/how-to-make-sleep-a-priority-again/)

I might probably be saying something you already know, sleep is very, very important for your overall health and your mental health.

Sleep and mental health are intertwined. Not getting enough sleep— (the Centers for Disease Control recommends no less than seven hours of sleep per night for adults—can negatively affect your mood). A study found that sleep deprivation can lead to many adverse mood effects including, anger, irritability, general sadness, and mental fatigue.

Insomnia and trouble sleeping can be a part of many common mental health conditions including anxiety and depression. In turn, not getting adequate sleep can trigger these challenges.

Finally, balancing your mental health and work-life is going to be a daunting task but a necessary task to be achieved, I’m sure my friend is already working towards balancing his mental health and work-life you should too.

Tell us what you think about mental health and work-life balance in the comment section and share with friends and family.

About Author

I’m Apoeso Abiodun O. and I have a passion for writing. I enjoy writing on a variety of topics. I take pleasure in immersing myself in learning about new and exciting areas.

I have plenty of experience in News articles about politics and business. I have a bachelor’s degree in Estate Management.

I am adept at meticulously researching any topic given and I work to produce original yet engaging prose for my clients. I also have plenty of experience in creating well-optimized, search-engine friendly content for clients who want to increase their online traffic and visibility.