So, what really is the work-life balance all about? For many of us this is a concept that we struggle to even comprehend, let alone actively implement into our daily lives; as in the philosophical words of my housemate, ‘cool, that’s something that I don’t have’. It appears that this is the case for many.
Now I can sit here and write to you about the ways of empowering the work-life balance, by lecturing you to rethink your priorities, connect with your emotions and to evaluate the alternatives, and whilst by the end of this article I may be telling you those exact words, I think that the best way forward is instead for me to empower you to realise that the work-life balance isn’t the same for any two people.
Navigating the work-life balance is complicated. I am fortunate enough to be sitting here writing this article after having been to Lisbon at the weekend with my university’s economic society, but the consequence of this is that I have an A4 sheet of paper to my left of all the work that I need to complete because of missing out on these days of work. Honestly, it is stressful, I am stressed and overwhelmed but that’s okay because the memories and the experiences that I had in Lisbon make it all worth it.
The mental break that I had I deserved, and I always deserve. That’s a sentence that pains me to write, because let me give you an insight into what it is like to be like inside of my brain… the complicated world of Amy. I am the by- definition of a person that seeks academic validation, in fact thrives of off academic validation, now this obviously has its pros and cons, but I am going to hone in on the cons because that’s where the real fun is…. This where my brain struggles because most of the time when I relax, I am not relaxing, my brain is running 100 miles an hour attacking me for all the reasons that I do not deserve this break, or runs over and over my to do list, all to the point where I am not enjoying the break I rightly need.
A quote that quite literally screamed at me when I first heard it by the one and the only Emma Chamberlain during her podcast: ‘Every time I was relaxing and trying to recharge, I was using that time to beat myself up and scream at myself internally for not doing enough’. I have never related to something more in my life. See this is where I think the work-life balance becomes complicated for me, and I am sure for many of you as well…
In terms of my weekly schedule, my work-life balance is about as functioning as any university student, for me between lectures, dance classes, gym, a social life, and if any of you are an economics student out there – the lengthy process of applying to investment banking internships, my schedule is pretty ram packed. And the glory of my schedule is that no two days are the same – one day I’m on campus for 12 hours working, the next I have the perfect work-life balance and the next I am deathly hungover in bed – zero consistency. But a key determining factor in any of my days is the time I spend not working or doing something productive, my brain does its best to beat me up daily.
This is not sustainable, and I understand that this is not sustainable, but I will admit it is hard to get out of this endless cycle, some days I am able to ignore the self-deprecating voices and the other days I have the ability to drive myself into a self-loathing anxious pit.
Honestly, if I could, I would give you the perfect equation to solve the work-life balance but it’s just not something that I can do or anyone if I’m honest anyone can do. We all have separate lives, and no process is linear for anyone – whether that be learning to ride a bike, tackling mental health, or figuring out the best work-life balance for you.
The best piece of advice I can give to you is listen to your body, mentally and physically….
For me during my A-levels I was very unwell as I over-worked myself to the point that I made myself unwell, and ever since covid hit, I am learning to navigate my bodies cues. For example, an obvious sign for me when my body is screaming at me to take a break is when my IBS symptoms flare up. This is a signal to me that I need a break, even if this is just an evening of self-care, but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. And some days your body is screaming for a break, but you have an essay due the next day, and you have to postpone your designated break, but that’s okay, everything is okay, life happens, and we just need to learn to take each day as it comes.
What I am overall trying to highlight is that to empower the work-life balance, is to recognise that it is individual to you and your bodies cues, just doing what’s best for you and your mental health is all you can ask for!