In today’s fast-paced world, women need to handle multiple responsibilities, which includes handling their jobs, managing household responsibilities and taking care of their family. While managing multiple responsibilities simultaneously, they often neglect their own physical as well as mental well-being. In a country like India women need to handle several responsibilities regarding their families while working. Maintaining a balance between personal life and professional life is very much essential for good mental health.
Importance Of Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance means a balance between one’s professional life and personal life. Work-life balance is significantly impacts overall well-being, contributing to better physical health and mental health, job satisfaction, increase in productivity, and a fulfilling happy life by allowing individuals to dedicate a quality time for their professional responsibilities and personal commitments like taking care of their family, children and dedicated time for hobbies.
Due to long hours of working, women may feel exhausted and mentally stressed. This may result in mental health issues such as depression, burnout, and anxiety. Hence a proper balance between work and personal life helps in reducing stress, burnout and improves overall well-being.
Women Face Many Challenges
Women face different challenges in balancing between professional and personal life. This includes:
Long working Hours: Working women often need to work longer hours, which negatively impacts on their personal life and family.
Household Responsibilities: Many working women manage most household chores along with their regular jobs.
Pregnancy Discrimination: During pregnancy women may face discrimination at their workplaces.
Child and Elder Care: Working women’s also need to take care of their children and elderly family members, which adds extra burden and pressure on them.
Not Taken Seriously: Many times, women are automatically perceived as less capable of performing certain tasks which ultimately leads to a gender bias. This makes many women feel ignored in team meetings, promotions, and growth opportunities.
Workplace Expectations: Many companies expect their employees to be available beyond working hours irrespective of gender whether it may be women or men.
Male Dominant Leadership: Many organizations still have a male dominated leadership. The main reason for this is male employees will often commit to work overtime by compromising on their family and personal life, they are open to work after regular office hours, on weekends, public holidays and ready to travel outstations if work requires their presence. This ultimately results in promoting male employees than female employees as due to personal responsibilities most of the women can not stretch working after regular office hours.
Lack of Self Time: Due to many responsibilities, women often forget to take care of themselves and take time for themselves.
How to Achieve Work-Life Balance
To balance work, personal life, mental health, and physical wellness, working women can take some small steps:
Set Boundaries: Avoid working after office hours and communicate this clearly with your colleagues.
Prioritize Todo Tasks: Identify most important tasks those needs to be completed first and concentrate on completing them one at a time. Avoid stressing on remaining tasks and putting unnecessary pressure on yourself.
Distribute Responsibilities: Share your personal responsibilities and household tasks among other family members.
Ask For Help If Necessary: If any help required to complete professional tasks then seek professional help from your co-workers and your seniors.
Good Diet: Practice eating healthy and include good quality foods in your diet like fruits, green vegetables and dry fruits. Stress and poor diet may result in nutrient deficiencies and it can also affect your mental health.
Take Regular Breaks: Take short breaks in between your busy work routines. Regular short breaks during long working hours can help you to stay active, boost your happy hormones, and prevent burnout.
Exercise: Exercising is a great stress buster and helps you to stay healthy, and fit. Schedule specific time for exercise and make it as an integral part of your daily routine.
Practice Meditation: Try mindfulness meditation, deep breathing techniques. Meditation helps to keep your mind calm in stressful situations and high pressurised working environments.
Time For Self-Care: Fix some time for taking care of yourself and involve yourself regularly in activities like yoga, gym, reading, sports, walking, running, or any other hobbies to relax.
Learn To Say No: Always learn to say no and only accept the amount of work that you can handle. Do not stress yourself by accepting more and more work that you can not handle.
Mental Health
Good mental health is a key to happy and successful life. If needed then women should not hesitate to ask support from friends, family, or co-workers whenever they feel stressed. Sharing your problems with your family, friends, or colleagues, and asking their help can make a huge difference.
Work-life balance is very important for a women’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being. By seeking help whenever needed, setting boundaries, prioritizing tasks and focusing on self-care, women can lead a happier and healthier life. It is also important for workplaces and families to support women in this journey of balancing between work and personal life, and ensuring they do not have to carry the burden of everything alone on their shoulders.
