But what does work life balance really mean?

Work-life balance means carving out time for hobbies and interests
It’s easy to be so engrossed with your career especially when you have way too much stuff on your plate or you’re trying to achieve certain career goals or get that raise or promotion. However, it’s equally important to pursue the things you love, your interests and passion.

Believe it or not, a vast majority of working professionals these days do jobs they won’t consider their passion. They may be enjoying and loving what they do but when it still doesn’t mean the same thing when it comes down to what they’re passionate about. It’s a bitter pill to swallow but it’s true - most of us can’t monetize our passion and only a few lucky ones can. Hobbies, no matter the kind or form, serve as an outlet for our passion and interests. They let us channel our skills and talents and a lot of the other things we can do and we love to do outside work. Sadly, not everyone carves out adequate time to pursue their hobbies because they’re too swamped with work. And it’s not healthy especially for your emotional and mental health.

It means making time for important life events
We may all have varying definitions when we say “important life events” but the bottomline is these are the moments that matter to you the most. Whether it’s the birthdays of your loved ones, or celebrations of milestones in your family or simply the tiny precious moments in your life you consider meaningful, you have to make sure you’re present during these times without having to feel any guilt.

Additionally, by present means not only physically present but also mentally present. You have to forget about work for a moment and embrace what is in the present.

It means knowing how to set boundaries between work and personal life
A lot of people live to work instead of working to live. If you do the former, it’s about time to change that perspective. We need to make a living, that’s true. But that’s not the only thing we’re bound to do for the rest of our lives. Be sure to define a clear line between work and your personal life. You shouldn’t and don’t have to sacrifice certain things especially the ones you deem important just because you don’t want to let your boss or colleagues down. Learn to say no sometimes if you have to especially when it’s already compromising your health and wellbeing.

Achieving work-life balance is, needless to say, crucial to one’s emotional and mental health. And if you haven’t given it a thought, now’s the time to do so and rethink your priorities.