We live in a world where ADHD and mental health crises are on the rise. About 75% of adults with ADHD experience at least one mental health condition and I feel this is partly because of their inability to balance work and personal life. Everyone is chasing one thing or the other career-wise, whether its a 9-5 employee looking to go up the career ladder or a small business owner looking to grow their business, we all have our own driving force and if we can’t balance work and life, the body goes into over drive and depression sets in which can lead to several mental health related conditions.
Balancing work and personal health requires a lot, it’s not just about making time to make up for the time lost because you have to work. It’s about time management, knowing when you have to work, and knowing when to give time for social activities. Just creating a flow between everything that you have to do (work, relationship, socialize)
It can be quite hard to ensure this but it is not complicated. Here are a few things you can do to make it possible.
1. Time Management
Learning time management would give you the ability to prioritize your tasks and activities and focus on one thing at a time. You can make use of tools such as Trello, Asana, etc and also put your tasks on a scale of preference and set reminders for when each task should be carried out. This would really help keep your mind in check and get you focused without you crashing out. This worked a great deal for me.
2. Avoid Distractions
Distractions are not good for the body. It makes you flustered, uneasy and changes your focus. You should learn to say NO to people when necessary. Your mind and focus should be your main priority. Frequent distraction distracts the mind and brain.
3. Breaks
This is very important. Knowing when to take breaks and taking breaks will help you focus, and prevent burnouts. It can be in between work hours or mid tasks. Just get up, take a short walk, stretch, and drink water. This will allow blood flow and it will keep your mind refreshed. Most people take this for granted and just 5 minutes of this can go a long way. Learn to take breaks from time to time.
4. Boundaries
One of my favourite ways to maintain balance is to set boundaries. People can be disrespectful and they can take your lack of boundaries for granted. They ask from you what would distract you from your tasks, activities, etc. Define your work hours and personal work and stick to them and also make people around you understand your boundaries and respect them. This will go a long way in achieving balance.
5. Practice Healthy Habits
You should always practise health habits such as eating healthy, eating fruits, exercise, sleeping well. This will keep your mind sharp, your brain active and your body healthy and refreshed.
6. Discipline
After keeping to all these rules, making it a priority becomes important. You have to be disciplined with everything you have set your mind to achieve with balancing work and personal life. Discipline will turn your intentions to actions, it will serve as your motivation and keep you consistent with your commitments.
Creating a perfect flow between work and personal life can be a challenge however, working hard on achieving this will give you purpose and allow you to live healthier, happier and a meaningful life.
