Separating Work & Personal life

Separating work and personal life- Natasha

In this day and age, work seems to be a central point in most people's lives. It becomes a common practice to ‘check up on work emails’ or ‘just update this document’ outside of work hours. This then unintentionally takes over our personal lives. It can become an unhealthy habit in some cases, which leads to stress and work-related anxiety at times when we should be focusing on our relaxation and peace of mind.

Employees who neglect their personal life and work more than 55 hours per week have a 1.66 times higher risk of depression, 1.74 times higher risk of anxiety, and 1.3 times higher risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

It often starts with small habits, but can lead to the breaking of the boundary between work and personal life. Here are some tips to maintain this boundary;

1) Set a reasonable amount of work for yourself each day. Do not overwork yourself and make sure you take the breaks that you need.

2) Learn how to say no. If you feel you cannot take on any more work, then make sure you make it known. The only way to maintain a strict boundary is discipline.

3) Add self-care to your schedule. Have time dedicated to your self-care, whether this is exercise or meditation, this is your time for relaxation.

4)  Stick to your work hours. There may be exemptions, but make sure that stays as an exemption and not the rule.