School/work and life balance

What does it mean?

A work-life balance is defined as finding a perfect medium between life and work. You work enough, but you also have ample time to enjoy your life. Basically, a work-life balance ensures that your life doesn't wholly revolve around working all the time. Working all the time can take away what makes life worth living. Not seeing family or friends, not going places or traveling, and not relaxing enough can induce mental illnesses like depression. Working too much can increase stress and tension, and decrease serotonin levels. The decrease of serotonin levels can, unfortunately, lead to depression. It is important to take care of yourself and make sure you are happy. Unfortunately, life can put us in unideal circumstances. This means that sometimes it is necessary for people to work a lot so they can earn enough to survive.

Why is it important?

A work-life balance is especially important in the workplace. It encourages employees to give their work their best effort. A work-life balance decreases the risks of mental illnesses and chronic stress. The work environment can become sour if the employees don't have enough time to relax and recharge. That can create a hostile work environment and it can halt the progression of the workplace. Overworking your workers will just produce work that isn't the full potential of the workers. Students who only study and don't have fun outside of class are also subjected to the same fate. Yes, studying is important, but it is not worth the price of your mental well-being. Take time off if you don't have to study or work every day. Life is more than just working.

Steps to take

It can be hard to initiate a work-life balance sometimes. The steps that are recommended are to take breaks and time off to enjoy life. Don't overschedule yourself with work if you can afford to do so. Don't take shifts you weren't scheduled for just because you feel like you have an obligation to the job.

• Prioritize your time

• Stick to the scheduled work/study hours

• Find a job/field of study that you LOVE!

• Don't be a perfectionist

• Use a planner