How do you balance work and home life?
I used to think that balance was something to achieve- a finish line to reach…but life has taught me that it’s not. As long as I’ve been in the field of nursing, I’ve always felt like I was working toward this ideal balance between work and home.
I didn’t realize that one was always spilling into the other. Rarely did my home life ever spill over to work, but work frequently spilled over to home. I began wondering why this was happening? I soon came to the realization it was happening because I “was letting it happen”.
What I’m saying is that YOU are responsible for creating a balance between work and home. Balance is always a matter of adjusting. The moment I realized I had the authority to create the balance I wanted- I began setting boundaries.
Setting boundaries is a lot easier if you set them from the beginning. Trying to change what I’d already established was creating a lot more work. For instance, I had taught my coworkers and patients that I could be reached at ANY hour on ANY day.
On the drive home after a long day of work I would find myself getting calls and texts about work related things. I’d also find it difficult to create a sense of peace at home because I was constantly dealing with work at home. The key to this was educating others on what it was that I expected and wanted- aka boundaries.
To set boundaries with them I first had to know what it was that I wanted them to look like. I set a reasonable time for my work phone to be placed on do not disturb. I informed others that this was going to take place. I planned to arrive to work slightly early to make the calls needed and/or prep for the day. This allowed me to clock out and actually leave the job.
I’m curious at what others have done and look forward to seeing your thoughts. I’m grateful for my job because it was once only a dream for me, but I’m also grateful for the ability to come home from work to a peaceful safe space. I understand that balance is a myth because life is constantly evolving and for me, that’s a huge blessing.
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