2020 research at the University of Pennsylvania followed female professionals working from home to analyse how life’s choices, changes and distractions affect their wellbeing. They found out that us ladies have it more difficult than men because apart from being the best at our jobs, we’re also expected to manage the family. As a result, there is no time for ourselves and our personal wellbeing often suffers. Here are a few recommendations to help you restore this balance.
Think about here and now
Creating endless lists and plans for both work and family can remove you from reality. You’re always thinking about the future – the few years ahead when you’re successful and rich to a few days ahead when it’s time to stock up the fridge.
Spend a few minutes every day focusing on the here and now. After all, being in the moment is one of the main recommendations of the mindfulness movement and is the best thing you can do for your psychological health and wellbeing. How? Start with something as simple as wiggling your toes. Something as simple as this reminds you that you’re here, you’re alive and you have a choice for how you want to spend this day.
Create and keep boundaries
Juggling work, family, hobbies, friends, etc. is called juggling for a reason – it can turn into a real-life circus! Having to overlook a million aspects of your life at once makes your brain overstimulated and unfocused, which results in low emotional energy and that nasty feeling of having no control over what’s happening on a daily basis.
Strict boundaries is what you need! From time-blocking apps to physical limits, like ‘when the door is closed, no one is allowed to disturb me unless it’s an emergency’ – make sure your many responsibilities are not interrupting each other.
Surround yourself with beautiful things
Things, colours and views we see every day can either spark our creativity or crash it, they can make us more energetic and productive or relaxed and a little bit lazy. Be your own ‘mood designer’! Declutter your workplace to remain focused, decorate your bedroom with calming colours and scented candles, add vibrant and motivating visuals to your living room, kitchen or any other home space where you prefer to be creative and active but not focused on work.
Make wellbeing a part of your life
We don’t question having ‘work life’ and ‘family life’ but somehow having ‘personal life’ or so-called ‘me time’ often becomes less important or entirely non-existent. Accept the fact that this part of your life is equally important and approach it like you do the others… with to-do lists and allocated time. Be it mini-breaks for a face mask or a short walk during the day or a few hours at night for reading in bed or a full day on weekend to spend it just the way you like – just plan it and make it happen. Here are 33 self-care ideas you’ll love.
Stick to small habits
Repetitive actions reduce our stress and anxiety levels – that’s a fact. Establish small daily habits that improve your mood while simultaneously quieting your stress hormones. Love delicious coffee? Find time for a home-made barista-level perfection every morning. Start the day with filling in your beautiful planner or end it with journaling. Devote 20 minutes a day to a workout or tending the garden.