I have begun to notice a dangerous pattern, my friends.
After a day filled with many building expectations at work- planning an annual oncology party, managing several adult consults and high anxiety pediatric patients, pioneering a teen support group, and more- I wrap up my shift, drive home…and then immediately whip out my phone to check my work emails IN MY DRIVEWAY BEFORE I EVEN GO INSIDE.
This pattern of checking work email may not seem like a concern to some of you, but for me personally, I believe it is a reflection of my heart: a reflection of striving for perfection opposed to excellence, to obsess over the details and not let go of control, and a disregard for my own personal boundary of email usage when at home. (Disclaimer: this is my own personal boundary and it is completely okay if this isn’t one you have for yourself. I would simply challenge you to make sure that you have ways that you are able to separate from work and rejuvenate.)
If you just simply google the phrase, “work-life balance”you will see many articles pop up from psychologists and successful business entrepeneurs stressing the importance of seeking work-life balance. Forbes magazine’s Deborah Jian Lee writes, “Experts agree: the compounding stress from the never-ending workday is damaging. It can hurt relationships, health and overall happiness.”
“Work life balance is born from a proper mindset, not necessarily proper actions.”
Work-life balance is necessary to help us continue to care for others. As child life specialists, we all have probably heard the expression, “you can’t pour from an empty bucket.”
Work life balance is born from a proper mindset, not necessarily proper actions. Example: you can leave work early or take a vacation, but still have work on the brain. In order to seek balance, the commitment has to come from within.
I know this, yet here I am, really wrestling to let go of control and to leave work at work.
This post may be more for me than for you, but I hope you can find some encouragement and helpful reminders in ways to re-orient yourself to the importance of seeking work-life balance. Here are just a few ways to re-adjust our mindset in order to commit to work-life balance:
- Your life and your worth are not hinged on your job as a child life specialist. Sure, you love the field of child life and love your job! But it does not in any way define who you are and should not be the center of your universe.
- Don’t buy into the belief that you are the only person who can do your job. Delegate parts of your to-do list when you can. Seek teamwork and unity. Believe in your coworkers and that they can help share the load you are carrying. The more you remember that you are not the only person who can do the job, the more you will be able to release control and healthily separate from work.
- Perfectionism shouldn’t be the goal. Instead, strive for integrity and make appropriate goals to measure your standard of excellence. Commit to expectations that you will respond to emails within 2 business days, for example.
- Set boundaries for yourself and stick to them. Share your boundaries with your office mate, mom or friend if you have to for accountability. For me, that looks like taking my work email off my phone completely to help me seek the balance I need. And again, this boundary stems from the mindset that work-life balance is necessary in order for me to be effective.
The work we all do is something we are passionate about and can enjoy doing. And in busy seasons especially, the temptation to allow work to be all-consuming can be easy to fall into. Yet it is so important to be at peace with walking away from an unfinished to-do list. We desperately need that bucket get filled back up again. If you find yourself in a similar position as me with experience in imbalance of work-life balance, I would be happy to share in the struggle with you! Email me at allie@childlifecooperative.com.