Work/Life Balance

The case for Work Life Balance (Hudson Report)

• Know what you want and work towards what you want
• What does balance mean to you?
• Stress perception – the ABC of stress management
• Recognise and eliminate the time and energy wasters
• Get personal needs met
• Learn to enjoy people more
• Become more creative/active/interested and interesting?

I have often found that people come to coaching for career development but discover that they have some other needs to be addressed before they can expand their horizons. Having a coach is ideal for establishing what those needs might be and for then working out a plan of action.

An imbalance in work and life is different for all of us. Some people thrive on constant work pressure and deadlines, while others need a more relaxed working environment. Knowing our preference might not be the problem but creating the working environment of our choice might be. Sometimes the solution is in better time management, improved assertiveness, more creative communication or development of stress management techniques rather than a change in job.

A Tip

I am sure you have heard that laughter is the best medicine? Here are some interesting facts about what happens to the body when we have a good belly laugh.

Laughter gives you an internal workout! It affects the diaphragm, thorax, abdomen, heart and lungs. Laughter is aerobic. When you laugh, you secrete endorphins which serve to reduce pain and make you feel good. When laughter subsides, the pulse rate drops and muscles become relaxed. The benefits last for as long as 45 minutes – so you need to laugh every hour to reduce stress!

Groucho Marx once said, “A Clown is like an aspirin, only he works twice as fast.”

When you are stressed out, your body releases more adrenalin and cortisol which in turn suppresses your immune system and also constricts your blood vessels. On the other hand, when you laugh your body releases chemicals called endorphins, which counteract the effect of stress hormones and cause your blood vessels to dilate. If you want to read more go to David Bunell’s article “Is Laughter the Opposite of Stress?”

One of my favourite quotes is from Shakespeare’s Hamlet “Things are neither good nor bad but thinking makes it so”

So if you need some help with what you are thinking or what you want to change in your life to achieve work life balance then contact me for a complementary 30 minute exploratory session.

Fran Whittingham
Your Career Coach