Work life balance part one
As a psychotherapist counsellor I see many people who have embarked on self employment full of enthusiasm and highly competent but within a short space of time they feel exhausted and overwhelmed because of the demands of work.
Yet there is much we can do to look after ourselves.
Often people overwork and treat themselves almost as objects rather than human beings. This can lead to stress. When working from home, what are your support systems? Have you established cut off points? Are you able to close the door- literally? What time in the day do you set aside just for you? How do you like to spend this time?
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed?
How and why do you become distracted? Perhaps you feel too tired or that you’re not having enough fun. Ensure you have techniques in place so you remain focused when you need to – but also build structured time off into your schedule. Look at your goals that you set at the beginning of the year, (one of the best goal setting systems I’ve found is Jinny Ditzler’s “Your Best Year Yet”) and see if you are still on track. Although it’s quite involved, it’s worth the effort and you might even enjoy it!
Do you draw up a holiday schedule for yourself? When you do this, you may be quite shocked to find that you are taking fewer days off than when you were employed.
