Changes at home or at work, whether short-term or permanent, can be overwhelming. Small adjustments to your daily routine can help you regain a balance between work and home.
Slow down.
Life is simply too short, so don’t let things pass by you in a blur. Take steps to stop and enjoy the things and people around you. Don’t make plans for every evening or weekend, and find some ways to distance yourself from the things that are causing you the most stress.
Learn to manage your time.
Avoid procrastination. For many people, most of the stress they feel comes from simply being disorganized and procrastinating. Learn to set more realistic goals and deadlines and then stick to them. You’ll find that not only are you less stressed, but your work will be better.
Share the load.
Even though you may sometimes feel you are the only one capable of doing something, it’s usually not the case. Get your partner or other family members to help you with all your personal and family responsibilities. Taking care of the household, children, or parents should not be the responsibility of just one person
Let things go (don’t sweat the small stuff).
It’s simpler said than done but learn to let things go once in a while. So what if the dishes don’t get washed every day or that the house doesn’t get vacuumed every week. Learn to recognize the things that don’t really have much impact in your life and allow yourself to let them go and then not beat yourself up for doing so.
Explore your options.
If you are feeling overwhelmed with your family responsibilities, get help if you can afford it or enlist family members and friends for some tasks. Find a sitter for your children, explore options for aging parents, and seek counseling for yourself. In many cases, you have options, but you need to take the time to find them.
Take charge.
Sometimes it’s easier for you to allow yourself to feel overwhelmed rather than to take charge and develop a prioritized list of things that need to get done. You need to buck the trend. Develop a list. Set priorities. And then enjoy the satisfaction of crossing things off your list.
Simplify.
It seems human nature for just about everyone to take on too many tasks and responsibilities, to try to do too much, and to own too much. Find a way to simplify your life. Change your lifestyle. Learn to say no and to ask for help. Get rid of the clutter and baggage in your house and your life.
In the end, the key word is balance. You need to find the right balance that works for you. Celebrate your successes and don’t dwell on your failures. Life is a process, and so is striving for balance in your life.
Resource: SupportLinc EAP