Work-Life Balance
Only in America!
When I first started my career in corporate America, I worked for a company that had office locations in Europe. I thought it would be very interesting and great for my career to gain experience working with colleagues from other countries.
It was very interesting, to say the least. It seemed as though every time I turned around, my European counterpart was taking a “holiday” or a vacation, as we refer to it on this side of the pond. Or the office was shutting down at the end of the year for a mandatory holiday closing.
Ingrained fully in the American working culture, I thought to myself, “If they are always on holiday, how does any work get done?” How naïve!
It turned out that in America, we work many more hours and are much more stressed than our European counterparts.
It wasn’t until many years later and several life-altering events that I realized that we Americans are doing it all wrong!
Are you doing the same?
Life as we knew it has changed.
Our environment today is so unbelievably stressful. While it’s a wonderful thing to have access to global news on a 24/7 never-ending loop, without a doubt it is much more stressful than it was 10 or 20 years ago.
I believe women bear the brunt of the stress in our culture. We try to be all things to all people. It wears us out.
Are you trying to be all things to all people?
STOP IT!
Easier said than done, right? Maybe, but while you may not be able to eliminate all of the stress in your life, you can certainly reduce it!
Setting boundaries is one way to help reduce the stress in your life and also to improve work-life balance. Again, women tend to have more difficulty with setting boundaries with others than men.
Setting boundaries with parents, children, friends, colleagues at work, or with spouses or significant others can be life-affirming!
Questions to ask yourself and finding the right answers
Do you allow people to “walk all over you?”
Does it feel as though you are being taken advantage of sometimes?
Does it feel like you live your life pleasing others?
Where does that leave you? It leaves you often feeling exhausted and stressed.
I can relate to putting other people’s needs before mine. As a matter of fact, it took the death of my husband for me to realize just how much I was putting other people’s needs before mine.
It took much work on my part; but once boundaries were in place (and I stuck with them), life has changed!
Life can change for you also! You may experience guilt while in the process of setting those boundaries; but, rest assured, you will feel better and definitely more empowered!
Let’s talk about how you can set boundaries and other techniques for obtaining a better work-life balance.
For a free 15-minute consultation, you can reach me by phone at (856) 506-5159, email at eileenjason@artaconsulting.com, or simply fill out the contact form below.