Balancing Work and Life for Better Health

Community Manager — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 12:39:00 GMT

Modern life is a juggling act. Women in particular have many balls in the air: mother, wife, worker, caretaker, and my least favorite carpooler. When you consider that 70 percent of women with children under the age of eighteen are in the work force it's clear that the day-to-day routines of numerous women involve managing multiple demands.

While women often make the juggling act look effortless, being "on" in so many important roles can be exhausting at best and overwhelming at worst. When a woman's demands exceed her capacity for managing them, imbalance sets in, often with far more serious repercussions than a few dropped balls.

Negative consequences of too much stress, too little balance can include:

Strained personal relationships
Decline in physical health
Anger and hostility
Dissatisfaction
Anxiety
Depression
Alcoholism

In past posts such as Stress Less: Keeping Work Worries in Check we offer tips for coping with the demands of work ranging from better time-management practices to delegating. For out-of-the-box ideas on managing work stress spend time with Zen Habits useful tips in 11 Creative Ways to Avoid Becoming a Workaholic. Finally, the Business and Professional Women's Foundation is actively pursuing policy remedies to address the problem of work-life balance for working women. Visit their web site for initiatives and resources to help working women balance their many competing needs.

How do you balance work and family obligations? What would make balancing your competing obligations easier? Share your thoughts here and on the Beyond Folders Community's Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Candie Harris

Beyond Folders : women's health, workaholic

Balancing Work and Life for Better Health