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It is Sunday evening, and you are already feeling overwhelmed by the thought of going into work the next morning. You feel anxious thinking about all the emails that are waiting for you and all the meetings that are scheduled throughout the week. Unfortunately, too many of us can probably relate to the relentless grind of work and the stress of working long hours.
Recent statistics have indicated that Americans are working longer than ever before. The concept of “hustle culture” has been prominent in our modern workplace culture. It it this notion that centers around the idea of emphasizing working intese long hours to achieve your ideal success with no regard to selfcare. However, longer working hours will have significant negative ripple effect on mental and physical health. Overworking limits people from being with their families, enjoying hobbies, connecting socially with friends, unhealthy diet and inadequate exercise, and poor stress management skills. Stress from overworking is also a main cause of spike in your cortisol levels, which is the main stress hormone that impacts your level of concentration, heart condition and many other health complications.
How do you prioritize rest in your work setting? Many people prioritize work and perceive rest as something that happens if time allows for it. People that do not get adequate amount of rest inevitably experience exhaustion, which influences their productivity and the quality of their work.
Now let’s talk about rest. There is no specific way to define rest and rest can appear different for different people. Rest can be anything that allows a person to improve their physical and mental health. For some people it can be active, such as physical exercise or meeting up with friends, or rest can be inactive such as doing a meditation exercise or sleeping. Despite how rest might look for different people, there is a clear indication that proper rest is a vital part of sustaining physical and mental health.
There are different techniques that we can implement to improve your work-life balance immediately. You can be better at setting boundaries with worktime. Decide how much you want to accomplish each day and be firm about when your day ends. You can create a routine for self-care daily. Schedule walks with friends, go for a bike ride, join a yoga class, you can be creative with different activities that help with stress management.
Out body is a vehicle that we operate to meet the demands and expectations of this journey of life. We have numerous responsibilities that demand our attention in our workplace, family matters, and relationship with others. When the check engine light comes on in your car, you will take your car in for maintenance immediately to fix possible complications with your car. What happens when we ignore the check engine light and continually drive? It will most likely breakdown and it will cost you a lot more money to fix your car. Are we ignoring the warning signs that our body is telling you to slow down?
