If as many organizations actually promoted better work-life balance as there are folks writing, commenting, and delivering trainings about it, our workplaces would be temples of contentment. While we’re encouraged to take pride in being busy, throwing our personal lives and true selves under the bus leads to burn out, stress, and depression. We have plenty of studies, statistics and people we drink coffee with to back this up.
Foundational to adventure education is a belief in the incredible mental and physical health benefits of engaging in adventurous pursuits. So, here’s our question; given the impressive amount of rejuvenation and relaxation we find in immersive adventures, why are we striving for a work-life balance? Maybe we should be tipping the scales in favor of our lives.
As seen in many of our occupations and the pervasive ability to work all the time from anywhere, trying to separate work and life these days is like trying to pick the seeds out of a banana. Even for those who feel like they’re super successful at this endeavor, what’s sexy about balancing the two? Does anyone aspire towards a tombstone reading “They worked as much as they played”? Work is important, fulfilling, and deserves our attention, but why not scupper the scale and embrace prioritizing health, wellness, and enjoyment?
An integral element in sustaining a positive relationship between our work and life is aligning how we work with our overall values. When we consider our jobs and workplaces, do we feel like health and wellbeing are valued? Do our organizations see our lives as at least as important (or more so) as our work? Workplace culture, role modeling, and promoting inclusion are strong motivators for guiding behaviors and encouraging people to take care of themselves, nurture their passions, and pursue their health.
For instance, if our coworkers eat healthy lunches away from their desks, who wants to skip eating and stay glued to a screen because after all, who has time to eat? If leaving a few hours early on Friday to beat traffic on the way to something restorative means we arrive Monday morning refreshed and ready to deliver, perhaps those few hours were better spent getting after it than running out the clock. If taking ALL our vacation time inspires creative thought, boosts wellbeing, and increases productivity, then being out of balance sounds perfect.
There’s often fear about how we’ll be perceived if we’re out enjoying ourselves instead of being busy and tired. And the anxiety many feel when offline is real. But like so many things in life, self-care just takes practice. If this all sounds nuts, then yes, achieving a work-life balance is a great first step to getting life in alignment. But once we’re feeling the benefits of prioritizing our lives, go all in and tip the scale in favor of yourself. Chances are you’ll inspire others to do the same and you know you’ll feel better.