The Importance of Work-Life Balance
How to maintain the relationship between chasing your dreams, and chasing life.
This is a response to Life Is Too Short To Be Busy.
When I was younger I was never busy, I would sit in front of the TV and watch television for hours. Once I started working at 14 years old, then I started to become adjusted to the busy lifestyle. Even at a young age, I would balance school, sports and work. Then when I was in high school the extra activities increased to choir, band, musicals, sports, working out, homework, friends, managing the boys basketball team and more. I was so used to being busy 24/7, that is become a lifestyle for me and that didn't change once I hit college. It only ramped up, especially Junior and Senior year. I was in a collegiate sport, balancing homework/classes, working as an ice-side reporter, hosting my own sports podcast and trying to find time to go out with friends. I would schedule everything down to the minute, and keep piling on new activities for me to do. Then I graduated college, and the pattern continued to grow. I was so used to being busy, busy, busy and I equated it to becoming successful. That I didn't realize the toll it took on my mental health.
I started to see a lot of problems arise from panic attacks to depressive episodes. At the time, I thought it was my friendships, my relationship or anything else. Instead, it was the fact that I was so mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted. I didn't see the signs until just recently when I have been forced to become less busy. When a person who has never had a moment to breath, gets a lot of time to do just that, well it gets hard. It also gets to be a coming to Jesus moment for that person, and that's exactly what happened to me. I was laid off of work, and I have been stuck with hours of doing nothing. It has been driving me up a wall and not in a good way, but there is one good thing to come of it. It's that I have seen the error of my ways, and the over scheduling habit that caused me a lot of pain and turmoil. Let me break it down for everyone.
When you are consistently busy, it comes the way that you live your life. You are constantly thinking about the next project that you have to complete or work that needs to be done. It feels like your brain never truly shuts off, even when you are sleeping. When you are always thinking about your to-do list then your biggest item on the to-do list gets pushed to the bottom. That item would be to take care of yourself by putting yourself first. The spa days, the breaks from work, relaxing with TV/Movies, times with friends or even just shutting off your brain. These things are just as important, if not more important then your goals or items on your to-do list. We as people need to realize the value of work-life balance and how it can make or break the very structure of who we are.
Just like there is a division between church and state. There needs to be a division between work and life. You cannot live a life where all you do is work, work, work and it goes the other way around. You need to achieve your goals, but you also need to prioritize yourself and your well being. So, I agree with what the original article is trying to convey, which is life is too short to be busy. It's too short to cram everything into one day, but it is also too short to not take control of your life and live carefree. There needs to be just the right amount of balance between being too busy and having too much fun. I say work really hard for a bonus, then take the vacation you have been thinking about. Work those extras shifts, to pay for the item you've been eyeing for months. Say yes to those work opportunities, but remember there is a line between saying yes every time and every other time. The balance is so important and I feel like not a lot of people talk about it.
To recap, life is too short to be busy, but it is also too short to not chase your goals. So, my question is, why can't you do both?
