Mental health is an important, yet often overlooked aspect of the workplace. When asked, 90% of Australians agree that mental health can affect how we perform at work, with about 1 in 5 taking time away from work for mental health related issues (Beyond Blue, 2014). One of the most effective ways to help improve our mental health is to ensure we have a solid work-life balance. We need to make sure we leave work at work, and not allow any job-related issues to creep into our personal life. However, this isn’t always as easy as it sounds, so below we have laid out a couple of different strategies which could help improve your work-life balance, and by extension, your performance at work.
- Let go of perfectionism. A trap many people fall into is perfectionism, and while it’s not necessarily negative for us to give everything our best effort, perfectionism can become a trap if we start to focus too much on the minute details. By learning to let go of the little things and focussing on what matters most in our lives, we are minimising the number of things we have to stress about, making it easier to separate our work and personal lives.
- Unplug. Taking time away from work by turning off your phone, or not checking emails is one of the simplest and most effective ways of separating your work life from your personal life. Unplugging and doing something you enjoy, such as reading a book, is also a great way to destress.
- Leading a healthy lifestyle. Keeping active and maintaining a healthy diet are great ways to improve your mental and physical health in general, but going for a walk, or going to the gym are also great ways to get away from the office and destress.
- Evaluation. Every now and again, it’s important for us to reevaluate where we are in life, and where we want to be to make sure we’re on the right track. You can do this by thinking about what is most important to you in life and considering how your current work and/or personal lives match up with those values.
At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that work should be left at work wherever possible, as to not let any work-related issues affect your personal life, as this can exasperate any stressors in your life.
If you would like to learn more about this, or are struggling to with the divide between your personal and work lives, please do not hesitate to contact us, give us a call on 3488 0483, or email us at admin@baypsych.com.au to arrange an appointment.
