Don’t Let Work Be Your Life.
Is work a necessary part of life? Yep.
Now, depending on what you do for work and how you feel about your job, that can be a positive or negative thing. But, either way, work should not be your life.
What do I mean by that?
Don’t let it consume you.
Sure, making money is nice. It allows us to buy the things we want and travel to the places we want to go… But you can see how there needs to be a line drawn. If all you ever do is work in order to buy this or that, or go here or there, you’ll never have the time (or energy, for that matter) do use those things or visit those places.
A lot of times how much we work or how little we rest can become some sort of status symbol. Which, there’s something to be said for having a good work ethic, but again, we are here to talk about finding balance.
It’s just as important to rest as it is to work. If you never recharge, you’ll never feel good at work, and you may even start to resent going. Not because you hate your job, but you hate feeling so depleted, and you’ve never given yourself the opportunity to find yourself outside of your career. I mean, when people ask what you do and who you are, is the first thing you say your job? Or do you also talk about all of the other interesting parts of your life that make you, you?
To get you started, here are a few ways to start finding yourself outside of your job:
1.) Find a new hobby, or continue an old one!
Here’s a few ideas to get you started.
Learn to bake! Bread, bagels, pretzels, sweets, you name it, you can learn to bake it. Plus, you get to eat it when you’re done. Win-win.
Learn an art or craft! You don’t have to be good at it to enjoy it. Painting, crocheting, making cards, drawing; there’s so many different art forms and mediums, so you’ll be sure to find one that suits you!
Play music! Have an old guitar that’s been collecting dust in the closet, or a piano that’s keys haven’t seen the light of day in a while? Take a little bit of time to refresh your skills and relax!
Play a game! Whether you’re into board games or video games, set aside a bit of time to grab a drink, snack, and shut off your mind for a moment (just, not for too long here, okay?).
Read a book! I have personally really let my reading habits go, which makes me sad. Reading is such a fun way to relax and focus your mind on something else!
2.) Get outside more!
Getting outside is my favorite way to feel refreshed. I mean, connecting with nature has never not made me feel 100 times better. I live in the city currently, which isn’t my mooosssst favorite thing, but there’s a nice park nearby with amazing hiking trails that really helps me get out of a slump. You don’t have to go backpacking or hike up a mountain, but a quick walk outside or sunbathing session can work wonders.
3.) Leave work at work.
I know, this one is much harder said than done. I’m guilty of this myself. I’m constantly thinking about work: when I work next, what could happen at work, how much time I have left before I have to go back to work, and so on. But does this do me any good? Nope. It actually does quite the opposite of that. Instead of focusing on the moment I’m in, I’m thinking about WORK? Crazy. Let’s not do that anymore. Think about work at work, and try your best to leave it there.
Now, if your job truly just is not working for you, it may be wise to try to find something else. Sometimes our jobs just don’t suit us, and that’s okay too! Or you have different priorities in your life and your work is really getting in the way of them. Only you can decide this for yourself!
Now, go relax!
