Ready to improve your work-life? Here's how.
Maintaining a positive work-life balance is important to your health and happiness. Being able to get up every day and look forward to going to work helps support our overall wellbeing and can help reduce the risk of workplace burnout.
When we dread getting up each day to go to work, it can start to affect our physical and mental health. We may experience symptoms of anxiety and depression and this can lead to physiological stress responses in the body.
Here are some great ways in which you can boost your work-life satisfaction.
Make friends at work
The social side of your profession can make a huge difference to your mental health—those who have friends or friendly acquaintances in the workplace report being happier and more satisfied in their jobs.
Showing genuine interest in your co-workers and making time to chat can enhance your relationship with them and make your workday more enjoyable.
Manage your workspace
Whether you work in an office, a warehouse, or at home, try to keep things tidy and clutter-free. Don’t let your workspace get overrun with random papers or food containers. Instead, find a place for everything and tidy as you go.
A clean and clutter-free workspace will help you to feel more relaxed and in control at work, and this will improve your feelings about your work environment.
You may want to incorporate your personal belongings into your workspace to help you feel more comfortable and at home. For example, you could hang up some family photos or a picture from a special outing.
Honor your breaks
When you’re busy at work, it’s easy to skip your break and continue working until you go home. This might be acceptable every so often, but missing your break more often than not can lead to work fatigue.
When you feel overworked when you leave after each shift, it can cause you to develop an unhealthy and negative relationship with the workplace.
Do your best to honor your breaks. Even if you’re extremely busy, tell yourself that you need some time away from the desk to relax and re-energize. Try to take the full time you have allocated for your breaks, including for mealtimes. If possible, add in smaller breaks throughout the day as well, like having a quick chat with a colleague about their weekend, or stepping outside for 1-2 minutes of fresh air. Some people find it helpful to take their breaks away from their desk/workspace, so they’re not tempted to continue working. Whatever approach you take, you deserve a break!