Life is busy and chaotic, especially when you juggle work, a family, and various other responsibilities while trying to enjoy your life. Often, the stressors of life lead people to have a few drinks or try to combat their anxiety in other ways. It quickly can escalate into a huge problem. Before you get to the point where drugs or alcohol are a regular coping method to manage your life, use a few simple tips to help manage your life better.
Patients at behavioral health centers frequently say they couldn’t balance their lives appropriately. They constantly felt overwhelmed like they weren’t keeping up with all of their responsibilities adequately. As the negatives feelings surrounding their inadequacies grew, they tried to ease their anxiety with a few drinks or when they went out they did a few lines. They continued to have issues balancing their work and life, and they continued with their substance usage to cope. While this does temporary mask the stress, in the end, patients recognized that it created a vicious circle and only worsened their problems when they could changed their lives to promote a healthier balance of work and home life.
Schedule “You” Time Each Day
If you have time for a few drinks in the evening, you can turn that time into time to be creative or just do something you enjoy. Run a bath and grab a book. Turn on some soft music and just set your mind free from all the stressors of the day. Maybe you enjoy painting. Instead of grabbing for a drink, pick up your paint brush. Maybe you could start taking a class to learn to cook or do some type of art. You just need to make sure you schedule time each day – even if it’s not at the same time or doing the same thing – for you.
Start Exercising
While it seems like exercising is just another task to add to your list of things to do, it energizes you. You’ll be more physically fit, so you can handle a great deal more. You won’t be as tired on a daily basis once you develop a tolerance for physical activity and build up your muscles. Plus, exercise releases endorphins, which make you feel better. You’re able to better handle stress when you exercise regularly.
Create a Routine
It’ll help you balance your life much better when you create a schedule and stick to it. You want to keep on a routine as much as possible. When you schedule yourself, you want to make sure you schedule time for you to do what you enjoy. You’ll also notice when you develop a schedule, you’ll feel more productive. You’ll want to continue to keep on your routine once you realize how much more you’re accomplishing and how much extra time you have each day.
Get Enough Sleep
Once again, it may sound counterproductive to sleep more. You’re probably thinking you just feel like you don’t have enough time to sleep eight hours each night, but you’ll notice how much more productive you are. You’ll have energy throughout the day to continue to complete everything you need. It’s also very beneficial to your health. If you don’t get enough sleep, you’re more likely to get sick. Once you get sick, you get even further off track. Not to mention, a common symptom of sleep deprivation is anxiety and depression. This means not sleeping enough is just making your feelings of not being capable of balancing your life even worse.
Don’t Be Afraid to Pass on Extra Nonessential Activities
Far too often, people ask for help from others. And although they may genuinely need it, you don’t always have to be the person to assist. It’s okay to say “no.” If someone asks you to babysit their kids and you’re already busy with your own affairs, it’s fine to decline politely. Don’t feel guilty if you can’t be the parent to run the bake sale because you’re also working and taking care of your household. This doesn’t mean for you to bypass every opportunity to assist others, but it’s okay to focus on yourself every now and then when you absolutely need it.
Ask for Help When You Need It
You don’t have to be the “Super” parent and worker at all times. Don’t feel afraid to ask other people for people when you need. From rearranging your furniture to babysitting to completing that big project at work on time, everybody needs the help of others sometimes. You can’t do it all, and never for a second think you can.
Eat Healthily
This sounds like another activity that’s time-consuming, but if you don’t eat healthily, you won’t have as much energy to fulfill the duty you have. Not to mention, you can experience mood changes and a range of other symptoms when you’re not eating right.
Adam Durnham
Adam Durnham is a freelance blogger that specializes in mental health and addiction in relation to the workplace. He currently lives in Detroit, Michigan and can be caught frequently running downtown.
