February 4th, 2025.
Written by General Psychologist, James Blaze.
Work Stress: Managing Work Life Balance
Work stress can be experienced when we are not able to cope with the demands of a workplace or role. It involves a psychological strain, which like any stressor if left unaddressed can have a cumulative negative impact on our mind, body, relationships and lifestyle. Sometimes we may not be aware if we are coping at work and what impact this could be having on us.
Some common triggers to work stress might be long hours, unrealistic workload and expectations, unfavourable deadlines and tensions with colleagues or employers. Think about whether you find your job boring, if your role is secure or whether there may be any form of discrimination or harassment present in your workplace. This might be made worse by pressures to provide financially or obligations to support others when not working.
Be sure to tune in to possible anxiety, irritability, concentration issues, low energy, body tension and drastic changes in mood that might be present if you are feeling stressed from work. Are you noticing whether your relationships are suffering? Has your job satisfaction and performance changed? Have you noticed changes in your health in line with noticing work-related stress?
Everyone’s work is likely to have some degree of stress, so it is important that we work on what we have more influence over, work life balance. Work life balance is about increasing resilience to work stress through activities outside of work as well as managing boundaries of work activities.
Consider some ways to improve your work life balance:
- Focus on time management, prioritising efficient use of time with work tasks that are within your control.
- Be in touch with what is important to you, in your job and your personal life so you can be guided by this where possible.
- Be clear with yourself and your workplace on the boundaries of your work This may be in relation to the limits of working from home, working overtime or availability to attend to calls and emails.
- Be open to or seek help with resolving issues with your colleagues or employer. Also be open to confronting issues you believe may be unfair.
- Develop relationships with friends and family so you feel more supported and socially connected.
- Limit substances that may worsen your mood and health or make you less able to attend to your personal or work life.
- Be sure to take scheduled breaks at work and make best use of them in a way that best suits what you need on that day (a walk, a phone call, online entertainment, quiet time).
References
Better Health Channel. (2012). Work-related stress. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/work-related-stress
MensLine Australia. (2024). Coping with burnout. https://mensline.org.au/dealing-with-stress/coping-with-burnout/
Mental Health Foundation. (2024). Work-life balance. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/a-z-topics/work-life-balance
Nicholls, J. (2023, November 27). 5 key strategies to improve your work-life balance. https://study.unimelb.edu.au/study-with-us/professional-development/blog/5-key-strategies-to-improve-your-work-life-balance#:~:text=In%202019%2C%20the%20World%20Health%20Organisation%20defined,to%20exhaustion%2C%20negativism%2C%20and%20reduced%20professional%20efficacy.
OECD Better Life Index. (2024). Work-Life Balance. https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/work-life-balance/
