Welcome to our Work-life Balance Assessment.
Our Work-life Balance Assessment
REMEMBER you need different types of rest
The first type of rest we need is physical rest, which can be passive or active. Passive physical rest includes sleeping and napping, while active physical rest means restorative activities such as yoga, stretching and massage therapy that help improve the body’s circulation and flexibility.
The second type of rest is mental rest. Do you know that coworker who starts work every day with a huge cup of coffee? He’s often irritable and forgetful, and he has a difficult time concentrating on his work. When he lies down at night to sleep, he frequently struggles to turn off his brain as conversations from the day fill his thoughts. And despite sleeping seven to eight hours, he wakes up feeling as if he never went to bed. He has a mental rest deficit.
The good news is you don’t have to quit your job or go on vacation to fix this. Schedule short breaks to occur every two hours throughout your workday; these breaks can remind you to slow down. You might also keep a notepad by the bed to jot down any nagging thoughts that would keep you awake.
The third type of rest we need is sensory rest. Bright lights, computer screens, background noise and multiple conversations — whether they’re in an office or on Zoom calls — can cause our senses to feel overwhelmed. This can be countered by doing something as simple as closing your eyes for a minute in the middle of the day, as well as by intentionally unplugging from electronics at the end of every day. Intentional moments of sensory deprivation can begin to undo the damage inflicted by the over-stimulating world.
The fourth type of rest is creative rest. This type of rest is especially important for anyone who must solve problems or brainstorm new ideas. Creative rest reawakens the awe and wonder inside each of us. Do you recall the first time you saw the Grand Canyon, the ocean or a waterfall? Allowing yourself to take in the beauty of the outdoors — even if it’s at a local park or in your backyard — provides you with creative rest.
But creative rest isn’t simply about appreciating nature; it also includes enjoying the arts. Turn your workspace into a place of inspiration by displaying images of places you love and works of art that speak to you. You can’t spend 40 hours a week staring at blank or jumbled surroundings and expect to feel passionate about anything, much less come up with innovative ideas.
Now let’s take a look at another individual — the friend whom everyone thinks is the nicest person they’ve ever met. It’s the person everyone depends on, the one you’d call if you needed a favor because even if they don’t want to do it, you know they’ll give you a reluctant “yes” rather than a truthful “no”. But when this person is alone, they feel unappreciated and like others are taking advantage of them.
This person requires emotional rest, which means having the time and space to freely express your feelings and cut back on people pleasing. Emotional rest also requires the courage to be authentic. An emotionally rested person can answer the question “How are you today?” with a truthful “I’m not okay” — and then go on to share some hard things that otherwise go unsaid.
If you’re in need of emotional rest, you probably have a social rest deficit too. This occurs when we fail to differentiate between those relationships that revive us from those relationships that exhaust us. To experience more social rest, surround yourself with positive and supportive people. Even if your interactions have to occur virtually, you can choose to engage more fully in them by turning on your camera and focusing on who you’re speaking to.
The final type of rest is spiritual rest, which is the ability to connect beyond the physical and mental and feel a deep sense of belonging, love, acceptance and purpose. To receive this, engage in something greater than yourself and add prayer, meditation or community involvement to your daily routine.
As you can see, sleep alone can’t restore us to the point we feel rested. So it’s time for us to begin focusing on getting the right type of rest we need.
What is work-life balance?
Work-life balance is all about:
- Attaining mental peace in today’s modern times.
- Reaching an equilibrium between one’s professional and personal lives.
- Choosing not to mix up their personal and professional life. This is good well-being advice for parents. Similarly, having a consistent focus on spending more time with their children.
In fact, maintaining an unhealthy work-life balance can be very disruptive for some families. It does not just affect the mental state of the one/two-parent(s). In other words, proper implementation of a focused working style at work and consistent involvement in family life is important.
Key assumptions of self-motivation theory
The need for growth will determine a person’s behaviour. The first assumption is that humans actively reciprocate toward growth. The development of a cohesive self is the key determinant here.
The second assumption is that autonomous motivation should exist. There may be many external motivational factors with significant tangible value, such as money, power, fame, etc. However, for this theory to be successful, the individual should have internal motivation as the key element driving them, factors such as the idea of gaining knowledge, improving skills, etc.
How will individuals attain psychological growth?
According to self-determination theory, individuals can attain psychological growth when certain factors are fulfilled.
Autonomy – people determined to achieve growth will have to attain an autonomous vision. People should have the feeling that they are in control of their behaviour. The idea of taking direct action will ultimately result in real changes that assist people in feeling self-determined. Once people know what is in their control and what is not, their actions and goals become clearer and they can make better decisions moving forward.
Sense of belonging – there should be a connection factor involved when someone is anticipating psychological growth. People should have a feeling of belonging somewhere or to some community, which will add more value to their life.