Whether we love our work or work to earn for something we love, we all need to have work-life balance.

India probably didn’t have to focus much on work-life balance as we had our own way of life which had its uniqueness and completeness. But nevertheless, with western influences creeping in, things started changing gradually. We never gave up on our culture nor did we completely westernize and this state of being somewhere “in-between” brought in a lot of challenges. People had to cope with so many changes and figure out how they can fit into it, giving rise to a lot of confusion and competition. This, in turn, started impacting our health greatly leading to an increase in stress, depression and other mental health issues.

In the last two generations, lifestyle changes have been huge along with a great impact on our health. Our life has become so fast paced, that we struggle to find time even for ourselves or our loved ones. So much exposure often distracts people from understanding their purpose in life. Some people focus more on becoming a better fit in society; some get carried away by instant gratifications, while some wander around without knowing what they want for themselves. As a result, we end up missing out on living our life to the fullest.

There could be different phases in life where we focus more on a particular aspect. Yet, life can never be just about one thing. If a person is only focusing on one aspect, that person will eventually end up feeling more incomplete and inadequate. In the current state of exposure and growth, if a person isn’t satisfied with even one of the aspects (Family, career, learning, entertainment, and so on) that itself brings in a lot of mental disturbances. Hence, having a good balance between different aspects of life is necessary for us to have good mental health.

Before we focus on how to balance it better, it is important to identify what are the aspects to be focused on and how much we need to focus on each one of them. For some people it is necessary to have time for travel, whereas some people need time for spirituality; different people have different requirements and expectations on what they want for themselves in their life. Understanding it always makes it easier to figure out how to bring some balance in the same.

Striking a balance is never a destination. It is always a continuous process which needs some modulation at different points of time. It is a process where we try to analyze and understand ourselves on where all we are missing out and what more can make us live to the fullest. Once we do some self-analysis, we can further try to understand what is making it difficult for us to focus on those areas. It could be time management for some; or maybe a person is focusing too much on one aspect; or it could be some deeper issue that needs to be healed which is a hindrance in letting us balance our life better. Identifying and understanding the root causes are always important to bring any changes in our life patterns. Once it is done, it is always easier to start working on those areas which need to be rectified.

When it comes to our society’s expectations on gender roles, a lot of pressure still exists among the population. Often women are expected to focus more on the family and household responsibilities, while men are expected to focus more on career and finances. Though there have been a lot of changes in recent times, a lot of people who don’t want to stick with those expectations are finding it hard to get along with it. Probably it has been with us for so many years that even with all the current changes in the modern world we find it difficult to set our mind free from it. It is often not others who stop a person from changing; it is the person’s own mind which needs some clarity on the choices made for themselves. Once a person gets that mental clarity, balancing life becomes a cakewalk irrespective of the gender.

Anyone associated with GS Lab | GAVS may reach out to Akshayaa at Akshayaa.s@gavstech.com and discuss their personal and professional challenges with her.