Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the Forever Blooming Blog! I hope you are taking care of yourself and prioritizing your mental health. In this week’s blog post, we will recap last week’s episode where our host, Jordyn, along with our special guest, Sabeen Safi, discuss how to maintain a work-life balance, how to say “no”, and tips to avoid burnout. Without further ado, let’s dive right into it.
Source: MyFitnessChat
Have you ever tired yourself out by staying up all night to finish a project? Or perhaps jotted down more tasks on your to-do list than you are actually capable of completing? I am certain we have all been there. We often tend to put ourselves under a lot of pressure just to become that “perfect” student in school or “perfect” employee at work. In the process of attaining perfection in every aspect of our lives, we forget our limits and boundaries. 45% of teens in the U.S. are stressed and overworked by school, and the smallest things can trigger a meltdown because of the level of perfectionism they have grown to have. Many times, we put extra work into things that don’t even contribute anything of importance to our lives (for example, wearing yourself out to organize a college fest and forgetting about your own health in that process). Upon failing to obtain the expected result, many of us go into panic mode. We don’t realize the turmoil we have put ourselves through until somebody pulls us out of that phase or it takes a serious toll on our mental well-being. Hence, creating healthy boundaries for ourselves is extremely important.
Source: AlleyWatch
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is equally crucial. Finding a balance instead of watching TV all day or working continuously for 8 hours is essential. Here’s how you can retain a work-life balance:
Set small goals for yourself.
Distance yourself from things you don’t like or enjoy.
Prepare a schedule.
Make to-do lists. However, don’t pressurize yourself to complete all the tasks on the list by hook or by crook.
Take breaks when necessary.
Source: WomenWorking
Something that might interfere with us creating a healthy work-life balance is our compulsive need to say “yes” to everything. Have you ever found yourself agreeing to complete your friend’s project while your own project is pending? Or have you ever complied with your boss’s request to work during the weekend even though you wanted to have a relaxing weekend? Saying “no” or refusing opportunities is something a lot of us struggle with, especially if the opportunity is rare or something that is really beneficial for us. I, too, have taken up a lot of opportunities in the past that I wasn’t ready for, which has negatively affected my mental health. The harsh reality is that you cannot be the go-to person for everyone and everything. It is essential to learn to prioritize your mental health above everything else and not feel guilty for doing that. Making sure you are okay should be your first concern.
If the proposal or opportunity doesn’t suit you, that is completely fine. It is not your fault. It’s very important to establish healthy boundaries and give people a clear idea of what you can actually handle. You can easily give people a misconception that you are available and have nothing else going on, but you need to tell them that your time is valuable. You need to learn to respect your own time in order to take care of yourself. The more you will practice saying “no,” the easier and more comfortable it’ll get.
Source: 1Africa
Another thing an ample amount of us have experienced, especially since the pandemic began, is burnout. Burnout is basically physical or mental exhaustion. You can learn more about burnout and ways to tackle it in our previous blog post. To recognize that you have begun mentally burning out, ask yourself if you are working more than necessary and if you have time for yourself. Here are a few tips on how you can deal with burnout:
Manage your time efficiently.
Exercise, meditate and maintain a balanced diet.
Take up some creative hobbies.
Change up your environment.
Put your life on pause, and reflect on what has changed in the amount of time that has gone by.
Check-in with yourself occasionally.
Try to think outside of what you are dealing with right now.
Don’t be afraid to reach out for help.
Burnout is totally natural. Everyone goes through it at some point in their lives. You are definitely going to get through this.
Source: YouTube
If you read the entire blog post, a huge thank you. I appreciate you. I hope you were able to take away something from this article. Hopefully, the next time you are presented with an opportunity great for your resume or a chance to impress your friends that will, however, harm your mental health, you will straight up say “no” and choose your well-being instead. Stay tuned for our next episode and a ton of exciting surprises coming up!
Until then, take care!
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