The essence of my Labor Life Balance
As we approach the Labor Day Weekend, an American holiday that dates back to the late 1800's to offer a day of relief to overworked, overly stressed workers, I ask you, "How will you honor this observation of Labor Day?"
Along with the weekend festivities of any planned outdoor picnics, BBQ's or end of summer weekend getaways, what will you plan to truly honor an entire day dedicated to not working?
If you're like the majority of Americans who feel overworked, out of sync, stressed out and out of balance, Labor Day weekend is a great opportunity to regroup and rebalance your "Labor (Work) Life." To look inward instead of outward to all that you need to "do".
Achieving a Labor Life Balance requires daily practice, just like any other healthy lifestyle habit. Remember from last week's Wellness Bite, "What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while?" For "How we spend our days is how we spend our lives"?
If you find yourself thinking about work when you're at home and/or thinking about what you need to do at home when you're at work, or hurrying through work to get home or hurrying through your home life to get back online to check in at work, it's a pretty good sign that you're out of balance - Not present with your family when at home or not fully present with your co-workers when at work. Thus creating more stress, less balance and an unhealthy mind, body and unfulfilling life.
We'll all face the ongoing challenge of balancing our labor life at some point (or on most days). Some people will create an entire lifestyle out of being out of balance and overly stressed, thriving on that stress while missing out on what's really important. Studies show that one of the top 5 regrets of the dying is that they wished they would have worked less and spent more time with family and friends.
I doubt you want to have that regret, but most of us have to work and earn a living, right? It's the "living" part and how we choose to live each day with balancing our Labor and our Life that's important and is the challenge. This picture symbolizes how I rebalance and honor the fruits of my labor by making sure that I get away to the beach at least once a year to reconnect and relax and to remember to practice this on a regular basis, not just on vacation or during a three day holiday weekend.
This is where breaking it down One Bite At A Time each day can help. Here are my Top 5 Labor Life Balance Tips to start practicing today. Choose the one (or more) that speaks to you most to start out with and don't rule one of these practices out until you've tried it.
1.Set Your Intention Each Morning and Remember Who You To BE vs. All That You Need To Do This is a quick way to prioritize and rebalance your day (and your life!) Remember to Schedule Me Time & To "Just Be" Time as part of your self-care practice. Even 2 minutes a day makes a difference!
2. Declare Balanced, Mindful & Peace Affirmations Remember, we become whatever follows after we say "I Am", so choose your words and thoughts carefully as our thoughts become our reality. Declare (say or write) an Affirmation or Mantra of Balance when you're feeling overworked, stressed and out of control. One of my favorite go to's is "I am at peace knowing all will be well."
3. Unplug! This is a biggie and a "Labor of Love For Life" game changer. When we unplug from our electronics it gives us space and time to plug IN to our family, friends and ourselves. Unplug at home so you can be more present with your friends and family. (Don't be the person with their phone out always looking at it throughout meal time). For a better night's sleep, be sure to unplug from all electronic devices including watching TV and checking social media one last time at least 45 minutes before you go to bed.
4. Exercise Surprise, Surprise. Just 20-30 minutes daily of exercise or mindful movement is proven to help decrease stress and increase peace and happiness. Back to the power of Affirmations, this is one that helps me on days I don't feel like exercising or am out of balance: "I Exercise To De-stress & Rebalance".
5. Deep Breathing & Creative Expression I've shared how just two minutes a day of mindful deep breathing or a form of creative expression can instantly decrease stress and create a sense of calmness, creating clarity to rebalance. Try just two minutes of Meditation, Listening to soft, classical music or nature sounds or expressing yourself through Art (coloring, writing)
May these tips serve you in helping your honoring each and every Labor-Life Day we're gifted to wake up to!
One Bite At A Time.
With Love and Light, Susan