Redefining the Work vs. Play Balance

Work vs. Play Balance

From busy work days to hectic hustles, it can be challenging to find the right balance between work vs play in our daily routines. Today, we’ve put together a few helpful tips to help you take on the work week, with advice for healthy living, maintaining a more thoughtful work vs. play balance and learning to live a well-balanced and happy life.

Develop Healthy Lifestyle Habits

Developing healthy lifestyle habits is a crucial step in balancing your work vs. play routine and can greatly impact the way you tackle your week. Maintaining a healthy sleep schedule, eating properly, and exercising regularly can be small yet powerful lifestyle habits that will greatly improve your mood and productivity during the work week and can additionally help to maintain a healthier and more balanced lifestyle.

Remember That It’s Okay to Take a Break

We often feel guilty for granting ourselves mental health days, indulging in self-care acts or taking breaks when we’re under stress, but it’s important to take breaks as needed, even if you feel that you don’t have time. Recognizing when you are feeling overworked or exhausted is a key factor in balancing your work schedule with play time, and you should never feel guilty for taking time to take care of your mental or physical health. Although the grind may not stop, that doesn’t mean you can’t.

Spend More Meaningful Free Time

Although we can’t always control how much free time we have during our days, we can control the way we spend our free time, with activities that enrich our mind, body and mental health.

Take up a new class that you’ve been wanting to try, reach out to an old friend or sit down with a new magazine that you’ve yet to read—(we can recommend a few!) Balance your workload with “play” time that encourages passionate and productive habits rather than passive ones.

Know When to Say ‘No’

As much as we love to get ahead in the workplace, it’s important to recognize when to say “no” to obligations or opportunities—and to know that it’s okay to say it. As challenging as it can be to decline an offer to get ahead, it’s important to be realistic with your abilities and know when you have too much on your plate. Saying “no” to something you may not have the capacity or energy to complete will not only benefit your mental health, but the colleagues involved in this project or assignment. Be honest with both yourself and your coworkers, and know your limits.

Always Put Your Health and Happiness First

With busy schedules and stressful work weeks, it can be difficult to always put your health or happiness as a first priority. Remember that even despite the challenging weeks, you should always take care of your health and happiness, and work should never sacrifice your mental health or well-being. Try to make the most out of your day and find balance in your routine in order to ensure a happy, healthy, and thriving life, and remember that tomorrow is always a new day to start again.