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I'm feeling like a True Work-Life Harmony series. There are so many ways we can access this phenomenon and experience the freedom we all deserve. In our previous TWLB post, Pt I, we shared two powerful ways to access true work-life harmony and in this post, we will double down on why it can be so difficult, sharing a few real-life reasons why some of us exist in imbalance with work weighing heaviest on the scale.
Let's explore this thing, shall we?
Instant gratification. When we check things off our infamous To-Do List there's a sense of achievement, productivity, and fulfillment that comes with it. We have trained our minds to measure success in this way. And convenient enough, our mind prefers things it can measure, analyze, assess, and solve. So a To-Do List is the perfect opportunity for your mind to signal the release of dopamine (i.e. serve you) by way of item completion.
But when we rely heavily on feeling good about ourselves in this way when we don't complete the To-Do List items, this can make us feel disappointed, sad, displeased, regretful, depressed, and even shameful. So we become hyperfocus on completing To-Do List items, avoid these low vibrational feelings, and create opportunities to release dopamine.
The TWLH Way: Create new ways your mind can serve you with feel-good feelings and learn to be more patient with yourself. Playful, cheerful, jovial, grateful, amused, and peaceful are feelings that can also trigger the release of dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin! This is why your routine must not only include work-related, home, and community responsibilities (even if they give you a sense of accomplishment and success) but it must also include hobbies, self-care, bonding with friends and family, and creative daily activities that center you, ground you, and enable you to release and replenish. By doing this you are strengthening your ability to experience gratification from even the smallest things like cloud watching, or taking a deep meditative breath.
Harmony is tangible, it is convenient, it is gratifying, and it can be yours whenever you desire.
Energy. As a high achiever or someone who prides themselves on how they show up (express themselves) in the workplace, at home, and in their community, it is indescribably energizing to see your goals manifest in real-time. Even when they are demanding and weigh on us physically, mentally, emotionally, environmentally, and even spiritually, somehow there is always enough energy to get it done. Some describe it as being in the zone, tapped in, or in alignment. Because of the energy that comes with operating from a space of purpose, it can be easy to forget that no matter how energizing it is, it is still taking. Replenishment is still required. Release is still required. Harmony is still required.
The TWLH Way: To meet the requirements of successful high-level expression is the best way to serve yourself. I remember a conversation with my therapist when she asked me to consider scheduling time for harmony rather than depending on my intuition alone. I felt resistance initially because I wanted to be able to trust myself to know intuitively what I needed.
The truth of the matter is that you have to crawl before you walk. I began scheduling time that I did not want to take (lol) to do nothing and step away from my responsibilities even if for just 15 minutes at a time throughout the day. I call these, check-ins and if you're not new here at SenterME then you know I talk about these a lot. Check-ins enable us to quite literally step outside of the zone and observe ourselves and most importantly, our needs. This is an essential component of true work-life harmony.
Purpose. I can't stress enough how crucial it is to not only be flexible but expansive in how you perceive your purpose. You are an infinite being. It just doesn't make sense to believe that you have only one purpose even if it is impactful and serves on a massive scale. Feeling purpose is a gift and some of us meet death before ever meeting purpose. So it can be extremely difficult to access true work-life harmony when we use purpose as an excuse to neglect ourselves and not indulge in the gift of the journey itself. If you feel you lack purpose, this too can be distracting. You may find yourself unable to fill what feels like a void and no matter how you show up not feeling purposeful can drive obsessive behavior fueling only imbalance.
The TWLH Way: Forget everything you think you know about purpose. Purpose isn't BIG or small. Purpose is no thing and it is all things. Accept yourself as purpose and recognize that every step you take is a purposeful one. The words you speak, your expression, what you create, and what you let go all have purpose. A creative way to tap into this state of being is to challenge yourself to see as many possibilities of you serving the present moment and choose the response that is in alignment with your highest good.
For example, go out of your way for a stranger or living being. Release the idea that life is happening to you and is even about you. You are an insignificant part of a significant whole. So you must honor everything but nothing matters. Existing in this way opens you up for a life of blissful flow and this kind of life attracts true work-life harmony the most.
We are all trying our best and that is all we can offer this journey. Every opportunity you take to expand in wellness is an opportunity for harmony to grow ever present in your reality.
At SenterME, we believe that by nurturing self-compassion and authenticity, we enhance mental and physical health, promote financial abundance, and cultivate true work-life harmony. SenterME is the catalyst for transformative growth and holistic well-being, supporting women professionals in every aspect of their lives. What do you think of this post? Like, comment, and share with a woman you feel would appreciate learning more about true work-life harmony to evolve.
Remember, wellness is your birthright and self-love is true freedom.