As a young(ish) husband, father, athletics coach, graphic designer and business owner; work-life balance isn’t easy. There will definitely be seasons where we will have to work more than we’d like to. But, the reality is that we can only do that for so long until something begins to crack. Most of the time, it’s ourselves and our families.
Towards the latter end of last year, I ended up taking on a lot of responsibilities. All in back to back seasons - I ended up taking on a much higher role within my full-time job, I was coaching basketball roughly 3-4 nights per week, training my PT & Nutrition clients, managing my own business and trying to start up another one. All the while trying to make it home for my daughter’s bedtime and be a contributing husband.
Long story short, I almost had a complete mental and emotional collapse. I was working for too many hours and saying yes to too many things without taking the time to recover. But nobody knew just how drained I was besides my wife and nobody would stop to ask how I was. To their defense, I’ve always had this work hard mentality so my peers probably assumed that everything was normal.
People would comment, “hey you look tired” or “you don’t look really happy” or “you’re not your normal energetic self.” Needless to say, something had to give and fast. My biggest fear was that I would lose my mind in front of someone that didn’t deserve to become the victim of my chosen workload stress.
So, what did I do and how did I learn from that situation? Here are a few takeaways:
Taking a Diet Break
Sometimes we just have to stop caring about body image and take a break from our eating regimens. Consuming extra calories will do wonders for our mindsets toward food as well as benefit our body’s physiological responsibilities. Just like with weight loss, you aren’t going to gain weight overnight so enjoy some fun foods from time to time!
Taking a Fitness Break
I literally took an entire month off to let my body and mind recover. It was glorious! If you start to feel unmotivated while working out or if you feel like it’s become a chore, those are good signs you need a break, especially before an injury may occur. Remember, more exercise is not always better!
Reducing The "Extra Work"
There will always be one more email and one more phone call to make. Work will always be there, stop being controlled by it. Your business won’t collapse if you turn off your computer by 5 pm and you won’t lose your job by simply being honest with your bosses and letting them know you are getting overwhelmed. You don’t have to pretend to be Superman all of the time. Set your time frame you’re working and after that, shut down the computer and go home! This is something my wife has helped hold me accountable to.
Limiting Cell Phone Usage
This includes limiting social media usage. I used to think that if I wasn’t working constantly, my personal and professional growth would be hindered somehow. This stems from the comparison game we mentally do from what we see on social media. Once I’m home, it’s family time, no exceptions unless it’s a true emergency.
Prioritize Hobbies
At the beginning of the year, I made sure that every weekend I was doing either one of two things for myself-going out to enjoy a personal hobby like visit the shooting range or go play basketball with some friends or I would do something that would benefit my health in some way such as visiting the chiropractor or joining a Bible study group. This helps to recharge my batteries week to week. Find something you enjoy and schedule it into your calendar.
The reality is, we can’t master anything unless we first learn to master ourselves. Many of us enjoy working hard, especially when it’s for our own goals but we have to remain in balance to avoid long-term physical, mental, and emotional pain. For more tips on achieving work-life balance, subscribe to our newsletter.
"Coach Taz" aka Taylor Rodriguez is the owner and head coach of Taz Fitness & Nutrition. He is a Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach located in Deltona, FL that coaches individuals online and in person. Taylor was a former partying pro wrestler turned fitness enthusiast after the economic downturn of 2008-2010. After losing almost 70 lbs, his new passion is to help struggling individuals find new confidence within themselves to achieve any goal that they see possible. To begin coaching with Taylor or to request a free consultation, contact us today.
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