Manila, Philippines —  You may have felt one of those days when it is like you are just not at your best at work, and you do not have the time nor energy either to do your fun hobbies on the side. You fall in that cycle of thoughts of punishing yourself, wondering why you just cannot maintain that healthy work-life balance when clearly, you may just be straight up experiencing work burnout.

That’s why self-care is something one should work on committedly as much as one would on career goals. Rea Celine Villa, Mind You senior psychologist, shared why taking care of one‘s mental health is vital to achieve work-life balance.

“The mind is an incredibly powerful thing. Although we may be tempted to not deal with problems at work, having poor mental health can heavily impact other aspects of our life. Poor mental health is associated with poorer work outputs, strained personal and professional relationships, as well as declining physical health. Employees who practice self-care maintain good mental health and can manage day-to-day stressors both in their personal and professional lives,” Villa shared in an exclusive interview with Stylish. 

Mind You, a mental health company which provides comprehensive mental health solutions to organizations in the Philippines to protect their employees with access to preventative therapy with licensed Filipino psychologists, is one of the revolutionary business groups in the country today that truly advocates mental health awareness in workplaces. It was formally introduced in June 2020, with Michael Neeham as one of the founders. It has been since supported by investors such as Filipino actresses Liza Soberano, Yassi Pressman and Nadine Lustre.

Here are some of the simple ways you can maintain your sanity in both your professional and personal life, according to Mind You’s resident psychologist:

Accept that there is no perfect work-life balance.

Refrain from being hard on yourself whenever you feel like you do not have or just cannot maintain that “ideal“ work-life balance. Have some peace of mind from the realistic idea that it is not always achievable, because in the first place, a “perfect work-life balance“ is a myth. 

“There may be some days where you work longer hours while others days, you might have more time and energy to engage in your hobbies or spend time with your loved ones. Balance in both your professional and personal life is achieved over time and can vary each day,” Rea said.

Be easy on yourself when there are days you cannot just tick off more things from your to-do list compared to other days. And on days when you do achieve more, celebrate those little victories. Also, allow yourself to indulge in simple pleasures that can ease off your stress every other day to sustain those little baby steps toward balance.

Set clear goals and stick to them.

“Work-life balance cannot be achieved without a dream or vision for your furture. To keep you motivated, use SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals and priorities. Organizing what your day looks like can increase efficiency at work, which can give you more free time outside of working hours,” Rea added.

You actually give yourself more confidence when you stick to doing a thing you promised yourself you would do. Such integrity within yourself can build your confidence over time, and thus can help you believe in yourself more and more, knowing that whatever goals you set your mind to for your career, you can actually follow through and achieve.

Manage your time and energy wisely.

“Create a schedule that works for you. While your job is important, it shouldn’t be your entire life. Don’t lose sight of the other things that make you feel alive. If you control your time and energy, it enables you to focus on the most important things,” the Mind You psychologist said.

You can always strategize your time management to work toward your career goals, the same way you should find time for your passion that keeps your soul alive. Take note of your days when you can go hard with writing your sales proposals for your target clients to achieve your weekly work goals, the same way you would make time for a dance class you truly enjoy. The key is, find and make time strategically for both your work and fun stuff! 

Prioritize your health and well-being.

It is almost impossible to achieve your career goals without your precious health, so make sure that maintaining good health is your top priority.

“Your overall physical, emotional, social and mental health should come first. Overworking yourself prevents you from being your best– potentially causing you to take more days off in the future. It can be as simple as eating healthy food, engaging in daily reflection or doing mindfulness exercises,” Rea concluded.

Image Sources: Head Image from Stylish Magazine Archive, Image of Rea Celine Villa by Mind You