The five keys for male managers to create a healthy work-life balance
Tim Skene
I understand that you are fed up with living in the turmoil and survival mode of stress
and anxiety. There are deadlines to meet, financial figures and goals that need attaining every week. You come home and the pressure's still there with you and sometimes leaks out onto the family.
I've created this resource guide to support you to know what you need to do in order to combat burnout and stress and to create a healthy work-life balance. This is easier than you think to implement and my 5 keys can be easily integrated into your life with the action steps that I give you.
KEY 5. Social - Accountability. Having a mate or mates to check in with about both the good and the bad.
Left to your own devices you can easily become too introspective. An outside set of eyes and ears is often very useful in maintaining a healthy perspective. This is particularly true If you're working on achieving a particular goal or outcome for your life. One of the ways you can do this is to make yourself more visible.
Action: Think about someone that you can share your goal with. Make a point of having a regular weekly or monthly check-in time to see how you’re getting on. It could be over a coffee or maybe even a quick call. Make sure you diary it and do it. When you get together, talk about both the good and the bad, if that’s going on for you. A coach or mentor is also really helpful for obtaining specific outcomes to keep you moving and encouraged to complete and reach your outcome.
KEY 4. Having a sense of meaning or purpose in life helps keep you focused.
It's useful to know why you're doing something. Even if a particular task is menial or
uninteresting. If we can make sense of it by getting the context right, the bigger picture, wood for the trees, it helps us to get things in a right perspective, persevere and even energise us to complete it.
Exploration and consideration of our values and knowing that you are fulfilling them in your life daily reinforce your sense of meaning and purpose to life. You can then feel more congruent and whole in the knowledge that you are doing what you were born to do. This brings you a sense of peace, reassurance and hope that you are doing something meaningful and not wasting your time and life.
Action: Take 15 minutes to step back and sit down in a quiet space or place and think about what is important or valuable to you. It could be happiness, family, holidays, authenticity, peace...Write these words down. Then narrow that down to the 3 most important or valuable to you. Ask yourself, am I achieving these things in my life?
KEY 3. Physical exercise benefits both our body and our mental health.
Exercise release endorphins or natural feel-good chemicals into our system. Exercise can release tension and reduce stress levels and anxiety. It can also help us sleep better at night. Sitting at a desk, driving in a car can both be familiar places that you might need to break out of. Try to have a daily walk. The sights, sounds and smells of nature are a great place to clear the head and regain flow. It's been scientifically proven that nature rewires and relaxes us.
Action:
Get into a fresh space like the park or the countryside to rewire and gain fresh inspiration, ideas and creativity.
KEY 2. Expressing your Emotions.
Emotions can be powerful, particularly if we find the right places to express them. Being passionate can energise and release you in an exciting way and motivate you to do things that could be challenging or difficult to achieve. However, if you find yourself in frustrating or difficult circumstances or situations and we can’t constructively release our emotions this can lead to stress and anxiety. This can then get squeezed out in other places like the car when driving on the road or at home with the family. You want to find constructive ways to express emotions that get pent up. Journalling is one of many ways to do this.
Action: Daily Journal. Find a peaceful and uninterrupted space to write down and reflect your thoughts and feelings. You might also find sitting in a relatively peaceful and relaxed atmosphere around people, coffee shop or roof garden bar or restaurant can help you be energised to think and reflect on creative activities. You can use your smartphone to journal on or write down random creative thoughts or inspirations.
KEY 1.Cognitive - What we think about.
What we think about can often lead to what we do or don’t do. "Sow a thought, reap a habit, sow a habit reap a character, sow a character and reap a destiny." Dan Covey.
A thought can be a bit like a seed. Once we sow it, it starts to grow. What we sow will determine what we grow. That’s why it’s important to step back from time to time to pause, taking a deep breath and allowing the mind to clear itself. Looking at things from an objective stance and solving problems is a useful tool for maintaining clarity and a positive mindset. Recognising knowledge that you already have and seeking out new knowledge and understanding can help you gain greater clarity about a problem you're trying to solve. Replacing negative beliefs with realistic positive alternatives can be a powerful way of changing unhelpful mindsets.
Action: Escape and recreate. Take some time to find a book or watch a documentary or film. Stories always connect with something going on inside of you.
Sign up for a free consultation call: https://www.timskene.com/services/free-clarity-session
Tim Skene
Director/Life Coach
