Maintaining good work-life balance involves separating your professional and personal lives, so that they do not encroach upon one another.

It ensures that all aspects of your life get the attention they deserve, which can help you enjoy a more balanced and rewarding life.

In this post, I’ll explain the importance of finding a good work-life balance share some simple strategies for doing so.

Why Is Work-Life Balance Important?

Protecting Your Mental health

If your have a poor work-life balance you may find yourself often experiencing stress, as you never have an opportunity to completely wind-down and relax.

This type of ‘chronic’ stress can significantly impact your mental health, increasing the risk of several mental illnesses including anxiety and depression.

If you experience chronic stress over a long period it can also result in ‘burnout’ — a state of severe emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion.

If your work-life causes you to develop a mental illness or burnout it can have a dramatic impact on your relationships and the overall quality of your life.

Fewer health problems

Having a poor work-life balance will also impact your physical well-being.

Work-related stress can cause several physical symptoms including low energy, headaches, upset stomach, chest pain, tense muscles, insomnia, and impotence.

It can suppress your immune system leaving you with a higher risk of contracting an illness.

When you have a poor work-life balance, it will also make it more difficult to find the time to exercise and eat well.

This can increase the risk of conditions like obesity, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, and cancer.

Better relationships

Good work-life balance gives you more time to invest in your personal and professional relationships.

You will be able to give your friends, work colleagues, and family members the attention they deserve.

This will improve the quality of your life by bringing you much more happiness, joy, friendship, and career advancement.

You become a more well-rounded individual

The interests you have outside of work are what make you an interesting, sophisticated, and well-rounded individual.

If your life is solely focussed on work, you will find yourself becoming very one-dimensional, which will impact everything from your relationships to your employability.

Better productivity

Several studies have found that employees with a good work-life balance are more engaged and productive while at work.

They have more energy available for work thanks to the satisfying private lives they have time to enjoy.

Simple Strategies For Finding A Good Work-Life Balance

Here are a few useful strategies that can make balancing your work life and private life much easier.

Begin tracking your time

Start by tracking exactly where your time is going.

How much time are you spending at work or thinking about work-related issues each day?

How much time do you get to spend with your friends and family?

Are you wasting any time on unproductive or pointless activities?

This information will help you determine how out of kilter your work-life balance is.

It can also help you identify opportunities for improving how you use your time.

Set priorities and goals

Think about your current life goals and how you will need to prioritise your time to reach them.

Do you want to spend more time with your family or do you want to focus on your career?

What do you need to start doing?

What do you need to stop doing?

Begin scheduling everything

The best way to make the most of your day is to schedule everything.

This will help you successfully complete your daily tasks and ensure that no time is wasted.

Having a schedule will also make it easier to work towards long-term goals and ensure priorities are met.

Create boundaries

Many people with a poor work-life balance take on work on behalf of other people.

They are happy to complete the work of a colleague or perform chores on behalf of family members.

Eliminate this practice by setting fair and realistic limits on what you are willing to do for other people.

You should also set boundaries for when you are willing to do certain tasks.

For example, you could tell your boss that you are not reachable during the times of the day that you have set aside for family activities.

Exercise and eat well

Your health is a part of your life that you should never compromise on.

Set aside at least 30 minutes for exercise each morning.

Leave enough time in your daily schedule to prepare and eat nutritious meals.

This is a critical part of maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Make time for yourself

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance isn’t just about having time to ensure your work and daily obligations are completed.

It’s also about caring for your self.

Include time in your weekly schedule for meditation, reading, watching movies, massages, and any other self-care activities that you enjoy.

Think of technical and logistical solutions to improve work-life balance

Look for clever solutions that improve your work-life balance.

For example, you might be able to work from home a couple of times a week, which reduces the time you spend commuting and makes it easier to spend time with the family.

Other options include job-sharing, flex hours, and compressed work weeks.

Also, look for technological solutions that can improve work-life balance like online scheduling applications and video conferencing.

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If you look online for information about health and happiness, you will find a lot of conflicting information.

Internet articles offer vastly different advice which can be confusing for readers.

One useful technique for finding ideas that work is to look to ancient philosophers, physicians, and spiritualists.

Many of their ideas survive for hundreds of years because they are effective and still relevant today.

Here are a few ancient sayings on the topics of health and happiness to get you started.

“Eat to live, not live to eat” — Socrates (469-399 BC)

Socrates was a famous Greek philosopher who is was considered the father of Western philosophy.

He wrote extensively on many topics including the importance of knowledge and how to live a meaningful life.

In this proverb, Socrates tells the reader how to eat in a way that is healthy for their mind and body.

He says you shouldn’t be gluttonous or place too much focus on the foods that you eat.

Instead, treat food as a fuel that nourishes your body.

Viewing food this way can help you avoid bad habits like binge eating or eating foods which taste good but are bad for your body.

When you “eat to live” you will choose foods that extend your lifespan and give you the sustenance you need to live an enjoyable life.

“Without exercise, a good diet alone is not sufficient and eventually medical treatment will be needed.” – Hippocrates (460-370 BC)

Hippocrates was a Greek physician who made a series of significant medical breakthroughs during his lifetime.

He received the title Father of Western Medicine and modern doctors still take the Hippocratic oath of “Do no harm”.

This quote suggests that diet and exercised must be combined to be healthy.

It is important understand this fact, given that we live in a world where being “skinny” is often thought of as being healthy.

Only when you have a well-balanced diet and an athletic body are you maintaining your health.

“There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path” — Gautama Buddha (500BC)

This wonderful saying tells us that the journey is the destination.

We should take time to enjoy that journey by making the most of every day.

Don’t wait for an ultimate end goal goal to arrive before living a full life.

Enjoy being alive today and be thankful for the many joys that you have in your life.

“Walking is man’s best medicine.” – Hippocrates (460-370 BC)

This is another brilliant quote from Hippocrates.

He suggests that walking is one of the best activities for maintaining good health.

His opinion has proven to be correct with researchers confirming that walking for 20 to 30 minutes each day can have a dramatic impact on your physical and mental health.

Walking can improve your cardiovascular health, joint health, bone density, and flexibility.

It is also an excellent way to improve your mood and ward off mental illnesses like depression.

“If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present” — Lao Tzu (600 BC)

This wonderful quote highlights the benefit of living in the present moment.

Don’t waste your energy on negative thoughts about the past or the future — centre yourself in the present.

This simple idea is the basis of mindfulness, which involves placing your attention on what is currently happening.

This technique is fantastic for reducing stress levels, improving productivity, and gaining greater control over your emotions.

“The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large” — Confucius (around 500 BC)

Confucius was a Chinese philosopher who developed a philosophical system that focuses on morality, correctness of social relationships, sincerity, and justice.

His teachings are still very relevant today and packed full of wisdom we can all use in our daily lives.

This particular quote emphasises the importance of focussing on what is good in the world instead of the negative.

Confucius says that thinking positive thoughts will improve your world — which means better relationships, more productivity, and more happiness.

“The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not” — Seneca (4 BC).

Seneca was a well-known Roman philosopher and writer.

This particular quote emphasises the importance of being happy with what you have.

You can use this quote to remind yourself to be grateful for your friends, family, health and lifestyle.

“The more you eat, the less flavour; the less you eat, the more flavour.”  ~Chinese Proverb

This ancient saying highlights how much better food is when you eat it in small amounts instead of over-indulging.

Applying this principle while eating not only helps you enjoy your food more, it will keep you healthy.

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less” — Socrates (469-399 BC)

This is another wonderful quote from Socrates.

In this proverb, he says that happiness isn’t always found in seeking more but in being able to enjoy less.

Instead of obsessing about having a larger house, a new car or another luxurious holiday — find the joy that is available in everyday activities like enjoying a meal with loved ones or taking a walk.

“He who takes medicine and neglects to diet wastes the skill of his doctors.”  ~Chinese Proverb

This proverb highlights the importance of diet for maintaining good health.

If your diet is poor, no amount of exercise or medications will make you healthy.

I hope you enjoyed reading 10 Ancient Sayings To Inspire Health And Happiness!

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Whether it be in a professional or personal capacity, happiness is something that we are all trying to achieve in life.

With a plethora of books and methodologies out there, each citing different ways to achieve happiness, what’s the best route to take if you want a fulfilling life that makes you grin from ear to ear?

Read on for some tips about how to be a happier person.

Stop comparing yourself to others

It’s easy to look at friends or relatives and think about how much better your life would be if you had say, their house or job.

This type of thinking is detrimental to your happiness and needs to be avoided at all costs.

Sure, some people are high-flyers with good jobs, others do live in beautiful homes, but that doesn’t need to take away from all of the things that you have.

Try writing down five things that you are grateful for each week, this is sure to make you feel much happier.

Don’t expect too much

As the saying goes, expectation is the route of all heartache.

Most of us have preconceived ideas about how certain things will work out for us, and when they don’t go to plan we are left disappointed.

Try and manage your expectations and remember that even if things don’t go exactly as you hoped, it’s not the end of the world.

Set yourself goals

A happy life is one with purpose, so it’s important that you challenge yourself and set yourself goals that are achievable.

These could be work related or could be to do with a hobby that you are passionate about.

Either way, achieving your goals is sure to put a smile on your face and a spring in your step.

Spend time with your family and friends

With the stresses of work taking over many people’s lives, it can be difficult to find time to take a moment with loved ones.

Having quality time with your nearest and dearest will reduce your stress levels and remind you what life is all about.

Lead a healthy lifestyle

Eating a balanced diet and getting enough exercise are both great ways to boost your mood and ensure that you become a happier person.

Exercise releases endorphins, so try to engage in some sort of physical activity for at least an hour a day.

We all want to feel happy.

That’s something that no one can deny.

Happiness is instinctive and an incredibly powerful emotional force.

However, sometimes it can be hard to feel happy and then enjoy the happiness you’ve gained.

To try and help with this, we’re going to be going over a few of the ways that you can feel happier and enjoy being happier to boot.

Change your thoughts

One of the biggest things that does stand in our way of happiness is our thoughts.

They can be incredibly destructive sometimes and changing them is the first step to being happy and enjoying it.

When you change your perspective the reality you see changes as well.

Try to see the good in every situation, instead of focusing on the bad.

Treasure what you have and try not to be dissatisfied with it.

Appreciate all the people in your life, because they’re so important to you.

Make sure that everything you do is done with a positive attitude.

Changing your thoughts and making a conscious effort to see things differently will help you when it comes to being happy and enjoying happiness too.

Meditate

Meditation is something which a lot of people will just be sceptical about.

However, there’s a lot of benefits to taking the time to sit down and meditate.

You’ll find that you’re a lot happier afterwards because you’ve had the time to sit down, calm down and regather your focus.

Reflection on a deep and spiritual level helps you to be happier because you can come to terms with things preventing you from doing so and then work around them.

Meditation is something which will aid you in feeling happier and also enjoying the happiness because you’ll find that the obstacles which prevented you from being happy are gone.

Exercise

Exercise is something which is very important for people to be happy.

You may not think that going outside and running or walking is good for happiness, or that going to the gym can make you happy, but you’d be surprised.

Regular exercise helps to keep people feeling happy and healthy, and ensures that no matter what they’re able to feel good and look good too.

We all want to have a good image of ourselves and to feel positive about who we are, and exercise can aid with this.

Overall, these are three ways that you can both feel happier, and also be able to enjoy your happiness for what it is.

Being happy is something that we all aspire to.

What’s the point in going forward in life if there’s not happiness at the end waiting for you?

Being happy is something which comes naturally to people if you make the right kinds of choices and the right changes, so it’s well worth figuring out what makes you happy and also how you can enjoy it.

Your happiness and wellbeing are two of the most important things in life, so don’t neglect them.

Finding inner peace is a major preoccupation in our fast-paced, often stressful modern society.

When things don’t go according to plan, it’s all too simple to fall into negative patterns of thinking and behaviour which affect our equilibrium.

Here are our five top tips to getting back on track.

1) Accept what you can’t control

You cannot control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you react to it.

Unfortunately, many of us struggle with true self-acceptance, let alone acceptance of our situations and our feelings.

Understanding that much of life is beyond our control allows us to stop beating ourselves up or blaming the world for things which have happened, and begin instead to live a life which truly reflects our ideals, purpose and personality.

Breathe, accept, and then let go.

2) Get active

Activity has been shown to have a mood-boosting effect in numerous scientific studies.

The endorphin rushes you feel when you take part in a physical activity of your choice helps you to maintain a healthy body, whilst doing your brain a few favours, too.

3) Spend more time outdoors

Spending more time in nature is a great way of ensuring you escape everyday stresses and strains and connect with a simpler way of life, away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

You could achieve this in many ways, from scheduling a daily walk in a scenic area, to planning a weekend getaway to your favourite nature-rich spot.

4) Practice gratitude

No matter what else is happening in our lives, we all have reasons to be grateful, and things to smile about.

No life is perfect, and no life is without trials and difficulties.

Learning how to handle these difficulties, rather than avoiding them altogether, is the basis of most spiritual teachings and religious beliefs, as human experience is in many ways as universal as it is unique.

Remember to count your blessings, and think of all you must be truly grateful for.

5) Give your time freely

Volunteering your time to a cause you believe in elevates you above struggle and connects you to a higher purpose.

Humans are social creatures, and tend to be most at peace when helping each other out.

Whether undertaking official volunteering at a shelter or a charity shop, or simply offering to help a neighbour in need, think of how much good you could achieve and how valued you are, and the inner peace that realisation brings.

Sometimes it’s easy to feel as though life is passing you by and you’re not achieving as much as you know you’re capable of.

The last thing anyone wants is to get to the end of their life and feel regret because they didn’t do all the things they wanted to do.

Many of us will create crutches for ourselves by coming up with excuses and saying we’ll do something “after I’ve got this or that”.

We often convince ourselves that happiness and fulfilment will come if we get certain things, but that isn’t always the case.

A sense of fulfilment will come differently to different people but there are certain lessons you can live by to help get your life heading in the direction you want.

There’s no quick fix to an amazing life of fulfilment but these tips should help you on your journey through.

Health

Living in the moment can be a very good thing but many people misunderstand what that means and disregard their future health by indulging in too much junk food and bad habits like drinking or smoking.

It’s extremely important to take care of your body and mind.

Maintaining a healthy body will ensure that you get to an age where you can look back and reflect on your life.

Try new things

As humans we often become used to certain routines and we can fall into a rut.

This leads to boredom and a sense that we’re not reaching our full potential.

Getting out of your comfort zone by trying new things is a great way to keep things interesting and create new stories to tell.

It could be anything from trying new foods to learning new skills.

Think positive

While ever you’re thinking in a negative way, negative things are likely to happen.

If you don’t keep a positive and open attitude towards life you will miss out on all kinds of opportunities.

A positive attitude also reflects on those around you and will improve your relationships with friends and loved ones.

Be kind

Treating others kindly and with respect will give you a sense of happiness when you see people’s faces light up.

Offering help to those in need will bring you closer to people and will mean that you have more friends around you if ever you’re in need of a helping hand.

Work on your skills

Improving on your skills, talents and personal qualities will help you become a more well-rounded person.

This means that you can add value to any relationship, team or organisation you become part of.

Everyone has different goals in life but the most important thing should always be your happiness.

Different things will make different people happy but there are certain choices and decisions you can make to maintain a fulfilled lifestyle.

Here we’ve put together ten bits of advice to help you live happily.

1. Be yourself

A lot of people spend their lives trying to please other people by doing things they don’t necessarily enjoy.

It’s important to stick to your own believes and do what makes you happy.

2. Have aims

Setting yourself aims will give you something to work towards and will provide you with purpose and drive.

These could be life goals or daily challenges, either way they will let you look back and see what you have accomplished.

3. Hard work

Sometimes it’s easy to just go with the flow and float through life but you’ll feel more fulfilled if you put in a lot of hard work and dedication into everything you do.

You get out what you put in and often the hardest path is the most rewarding.

4. Alone time

It’s important to take time out from the hustle of life and reflect on yourself and your situation.

If you’re feeling unfulfilled or bored self-reflection can help you identify ways to improve your life and get things back on track.

5. Take your own path

Never feel like you have to compare yourself to other people or judge yourself based on their success.

Everyone has their own path to take and just because other people seem to be doing well now doesn’t mean you won’t get there in your own way.

6. Be kind

Call it karma or call it what you will but the world has a way of rewarding people with the same kindness they give out.

Selfless acts of kindness will give you a sense of happiness and will help you surround yourself with good friends.

7. Laugh

Laughter can cure almost anything and has an amazing ability to lift people’s spirits no matter how down they are.

It’s important not to take life too seriously and learn to laugh at yourself.

8. Don’t be too hard on yourself

It’s easy to look around and think that everyone else is doing great all the time but don’t fall into that trap.

It’s important to remember you can’t be happy and feeling great all the time, so don’t be too hard on yourself and don’t expect too much, too quickly.

9. Avoid distractions

Everyone loves escaping into the world of TV, films and games but you have to keep yourself engaged and focused on your goals, otherwise you might find that life passes you by.

10. Prioritise your time

Be sure to use your time wisely and make the most of every day.

Don’t miss out on any great opportunities by being too late or prioritising less important things.

Make more time for the things that make you happy.