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How To Improve Your Work-Life Balance

June 30, 2022
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It can be challenging to effectively manage professional and personal life, which makes work-life balance an essential topic of discussion. According to several statistical reports, over 60 percent of employees in the United States have an unhealthy work-life balance.

Also, the increase in remote work due to the covid-19 appears to increase the imbalance between work and personal life for most adults worldwide.

So the question becomes, “how can people improve their work-life balance when they have so much in their lives?” This blog post will enlighten you on all you should know about balancing professional and personal life and why you should.

What is work-life balance, and why is it significant?

Work-life balance refers to the state of equilibrium between professional and personal life. It is the state of balance where we reasonably meet the demands of our jobs and still enjoy some private time outside work.

As cliche as it sounds, “too much of everything is bad”. Although most people struggle with accepting it, too much work can have some debilitating effects on our quality of life. Therefore, when work dominates all aspects of living, a healthy work-life balance becomes an effective way to deal with stress.

Balancing professional and personal life is vital for maintaining excellent physical and emotional well-being and improving mental health. So, such balance is akin to consuming a balanced diet to maintain optimal bodily functions.

What causes poor work-life balance?

Generally, the need to succeed professionally pushes most people into a workaholic lifestyle. However, most people with an unhealthy work-life balance are oblivious that a healthy work-life balance improves professional performance. Essentially, balancing work and personal life is critical for career success.

Here are some of the reasons disrupting the balance between work and life for most people:

Additional responsibilities at work, like a promotion
Other domestic duties like childcare
Working extra hours due to financial constrains
Remote working.

What happens when you have a disrupted work-life balance?

A disrupted work-life balance is more physically and emotionally damaging than missing out on regular exercise. Additionally, such individuals are prone to higher stress levels and professional inadequacy due to burnout.

Here are some negative effects on your life when there is an imbalance between professional and personal life:

A weak immune system due to higher levels of stress
Increased fatigue and exhaustion
Increased risk of heart attack and stroke
Excessive weight loss
High blood pressure
Loss of concentration
Decreased sex drive, etc.

Here is how you know that you could be dealing with a whack work-life balance:

Chronic work obsession and working overtime
Chronic backache and body pains
Irritability and social anxiety in extreme conditions
Dysfunctional relationships
Disorganized personal and professional space

Benefits of an improved work-life balance

Here are a few benefits you enjoy when you begin to balance work and personal life:

Increased productivity at work
Increased concentration and mindfulness
Better physical, emotional and mental wellness
Higher self-esteem and motivation
Lower stress levels
Higher energy

What are some effective wayds to improve your work-life balance?

Balancing professional and personal life has no ultimate formula as everyone and every work is unique. However, a little attention to detail, creativity, and commitment to striking this balance will do the magic. Additionally, you might require some introspection to enable you critically examine your situation and discover what works better for you.

Here is a list of methods you can employ to restore the balance between professional and personal life:

Master the art of saying “no” without being rude.
Reduce perfectionism
Utilize your lunch break at work
Create adequate time for exercise and leisure
Spend time with family and loved ones
Ask your boss for some flexibility with your work schedule
Embrace remote working with caution.

Final Thoughts

Balancing professional and personal life is no easy feat, especially when so much is happening. However, it is best not to stress over it. Instead, you should take baby steps to restore the balance you desire. If you find it difficult to establish this balance, you can contact us for a session to balance things out.

Top Three Strategies for keeping your mind young and sharp

March 31, 2022
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Even though your brain changes with time, especially as you get older, you can certainly keep your mind young and sharp. Essentially, your brain is not limited in function and ability as it can adapt and evolve—that’s why we have neuroplasticity.

Since good health is not exclusive to maintaining physical vitality, keeping your mind young and sharp is a significant milestone for maintaining overall health.

So whether you want to live forever young or want to improve your mental health on a general level, this blog post has you covered.

Eat healthy to keep your mind young and sharp.

We will never be able to overemphasize the relevance of good food for a healthy and functional mind. Essentially, your brain derives all its energy from one food nutrient—glucose. The glucose needed for your brain to function comes from your digestible food. As a result, when the brain is short of glucose, your body breaks down your glucose reserves through a metabolic pathway called gluconeogenesis to supply glucose for your brain to carry on. Therefore, you should ideally eat what the earth naturally provides for you and avoid most processed foods. The reason is that processed foods contain trans fats, sodium, sugar, and empty calories. In contrast, natural organic foods are nutrient-dense and supply the essential vitamins, minerals, macros, and micros that your brain needs to stay young and sharp.

Daily exercise keeps your mind young and sharp.

As much as exercising keeps your physical body young and strong, it affects your brain. When you exercise, you engage your muscles and your mind. Also, while you exercise, your heart pumps more blood around your body, flushing away neurotoxins from your brain and supplying more oxygen and nutrients. As a result, the first part of brain regeneration—neuroplasticity, occurs, leaving the second part for when you engage your mind in learning and experiencing new stuff. Ideally, the average person should be getting not less than 30 minutes of cardio every day. However, a regular daily exercise as brief as 10 minutes daily will do, provided you are consistent.

Engage your mind

If you sit quietly for a moment, you will observe that your mind keeps being busy. Some schools of thought, like the students of Zen philosophy, affirm that the mind is like a chattering monkey. It extensively proves that your mind needs engagement. Mental stimulation is a vital process for keeping your mind young and sharp. You can take or sign up for new courses, online courses, or read many books. You can also learn new skills like playing instruments, painting, knitting, dressmaking, baking, etc. There is no end to what you can learn and do to keep your mind super engaged.

Final thoughts

Good food, exercise, and new experiences are three critical ways to keep your mind young and sharp. But, more importantly, neuroplasticity which is the formation of more neurons by your brain, takes place during learning and exposure to new experiences.

Top Five Tips to Improve Your Mental Health

November 30, 2021
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Tips to Improve Your Mental health

In today’s fast-paced society, a formidable headspace- mental health is an asset. According to the world health organization, health is not just the absence of disease but a complete physical, psychological and social wellbeing. Therefore, your mental health constitutes a significant aspect of your overall health as an individual and should be taken seriously. This blog post will expose you to the top five tips to help you improve your mental health to boost your general health and wellbeing. Therefore, if you seek tips to lead a more prosperous, fuller life by enhancing your mental health, keep reading to learn more.

What is mental health?

Mental health is the overall wellbeing of the emotional, psychological and social faculties of the human mind. Essentially, it involves how well human beings can perceive and relate to existence’s physical and abstract aspects.

Why should you care about your mental health?

Sometimes, physical illness might not be the least of your problems, which is why psychosomatic diseases are real. Essentially, the mind can affect the health and functionality of the body gravely. As a result, it is essential to care about your mental health, mainly to prevent stress-induced illnesses. Therefore, well-managed mental health status is critical to the general functionality of the individual. Now that you know the benefits of caring about your mental health, here are five top tips to help you improve your headspace.

Five Top Tips to improve your mental health

Build and maintain healthy relationships

You don’t necessarily need to lead an active social life to make your mental wellbeing. All that is required is to connect with people, share ideas and experiences, and live life. Also, it is pointless to attempt to use technology to replace human interaction.

Engage in physical activities

The human body is designed to move. As a result, engaging in a healthy dose of physical exercise does more than keeping the excess weight away. It stimulates the production of feel-good hormones for a better mood. As a bonus, it boosts our self-esteem.

Learn new things or build new skills

Nothing improves the mind like learning. Whether it is a new skill, a language, or a professional course, the mind always wants to be engaged. Additionally, you will feel good about yourself with your newly acquired skills.

Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of being in the present moment as you navigate through life. The benefit of mindfulness cannot be over-emphasized as its effect on the mind is massive. You can ward off elevated blood pressure and maintain a good mood for a clearer headspace by practicing mindfulness. There are many ways to practice mindfulness besides regular meditation, and the internet is replete with such information to get you started.

Learn how to give to others

Practicing kindness by giving to others is essential for your mental health. It does more than elevate your self-esteem by also keeping those around you happy. Thanksgiving is a great time to practice the act of gift-giving, likewise other festive days. The world will be a lot better with a little bit of kindness and compassion.

Final Thought

Mental health is an individual need. As a result, it is up to you to safeguard your headspace for health and happiness, no matter what. That way, you can enjoy the best part of living. We hope that this article has helped guide you in your pursuit of better mental health.

If you need to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to contact us.