Keeping That Feel-Good Factor When Summer Ends

So have you managed to get your work-life balance in order this summer?

It may have been a damp August - and a damp July for that matter - but time out from work will still have helped many people to regain a sense of equilibrium in their lives. And if you were lucky enough to have travelled abroad then the weather here won’t have mattered anyway.

Often it is only when we get completely away from the scenery and settings of our everyday lives that we fully achieve a state of calm and clear-headedness.

The problem we have is how to maintain this sense of equilibrium as we return to our daily routines and our jobs. Sadly, by November, things can be looking very different again.

A combination of Life Coaching and Hypnotherapy can provide an excellent way of dealing with stress and maintaining that ‘feel good’ factor. Hypnotherapy can provide the relaxation techniques while life coaching helps to decide upon priorities and set realistic goals.

Planning in future leisure activities and days away when you’ve still got time and energy to do it can be a good long-term strategy for enhancing the year ahead.

But on a day-to-day basis we just have to learn to be strict with ourselves. The natural rhythms of our body require that for every 90 minutes of concentrated work we should take 15 or 20 minutes ‘time out’ to allow ourselves to recuperate. Even just a change of activity can help - if for example you’ve been glued to a computer screen.

When the jobs pile up we tend to feel that the only solution is to keep ploughing on until the work gets done – the in-tray cleared, the marking completed. The trouble is there’s always more where that came from.

This approach to work is ultimately inefficient because it leads to a steady build up of stress. And as the mind and body become overloaded the work gets done at a slower rate and its quality deteriorates due to loss of focus.

By taking time out we replenish our minds and bodies ensuring we work more effectively.

Self-awareness is the key to monitoring our stress levels. Step outside yourself for a moment, regain a little of that perspective which you had on your summer holiday, and see how much better it makes you feel. Then you’ll know how and when to take the appropriate action and to maintain your quality of life.