How to Create Healthy Work-Life Boundaries

How to Create a Healthy Work-Life Balance

It’s Tuesday evening. Your family is homebound, now catching up on each other's days and making dinner…but you’re still working.

It’s not an ideal situation, but our daily work responsibilities can easily bleed into our personal time when we lack clear boundaries between professional life and home life.

This often happens when we work from home or have flexible work schedules; however, it can also occur when the day at the office extends into evening hours or when work emails and communications persist outside of regular work hours.

Fortunately, there are ways to achieve a healthy work-life balance, even when work demands seem overwhelming.

#1 Incorporate Mindfulness Commutes

Many people hate the drudgery of the morning commute — the early hours, the bumper-to-bumper traffic, the feeling of wasted time. However, your commute can offer some benefits, too: The daily drive to the office provides time for introspection, listening to your favorite educational podcast or book and catching up on the latest news.

For those of us that work from home, we can often find ourselves easily transitioning from bed to the desk, without the bumper of a morning commute.

However, this lack of transition time can sometimes blur the boundary between personal space and our work environment, potentially leading to longer work hours and decreased separation between professional life and personal life, also known as an unhealthy work-life balance.

If you work from home, it can be beneficial to replicate or simulate a commute to provide your mind a transition from home life to work life. Maybe this involves waking up an hour earlier to walk your dog or take a bike ride through your neighborhood trails to clear your mind. Alternatively, maybe you dedicate one hour to reading a book and completing the day’s Wordle before opening your laptop.

These transitional periods can provide a structured start to your working hours, helping you mentally prepare for the tasks ahead and establish a productive mindset and better balance.

#2 Try Virtual Coworking

With the temptation of comfort and flexible working arrangements, it can be difficult to stick to structured working hours when working from home. Without the physical boundaries of a traditional office environment, distractions like household chores, family life or personal hobbies can easily interrupt workflow.

To combat this aspect of work life imbalance, consider joining a virtual coworking space.

Although these meeting rooms do provide a sense of community, they’re crafted for minimal interactions. In fact, they can help encourage accountability and increased productivity, making it easier to stick to your hours, whether you choose to work the typical 9 to 5 or a more flexible work schedule.

These sorts of spaces work similarly to body doubles, in which the presence of others engaged in focused work can motivate and inspire you to stay on task. Between work tasks, virtual coworking groups can also provide opportunities to network, seek advice and socialize.

#3 Maintain a Designated Work Space

As mentioned, working from home can easily blur the line between your professional and personal life and create a poor work life balance. You can finish a work meeting and then immediately find yourself in your living space, surrounded by chores, family life and pets.

To counteract a blurring of boundaries, keep your work in your workspace. If you have the opportunity to designate one room as your office, this can help create a physical boundary that allows you to mentally switch into worker mode when you enter the room and switch out of it when you leave. It also signals to family members or roommates that when you’re in your workspace, you’re focused on productivity and should not be interrupted unnecessarily.

If you don’t have the space for an office, consider setting up your desk in a small corner that’s out of the way. This could involve repurposing a closet or a portion of your bedroom. You can also use physical blockers to instill a better work life balance, such as a bookshelf or folding screen to create further separation from the rest of your home.

#4 Practice Self Care

After your workday, shut it all down. It can be tempting to check your work emails into the night or brainstorm your next idea, but carving out time that’s specifically dedicated to yourself can help reset your mind and body, find the right balance and avoid burnout.

In fact, once you’ve finished working, it can be beneficial to create another buffer zone between work and home life. This can involve tidying up your space, taking a short walk or exploring the benefits of meditation. It can also be beneficial to change out of your workday clothing as a way to tell your brain that it’s time to destress and relax.

From there, prioritize your favorite activities or hobbies. Maybe you’re looking to destress with a riveting game of Super Smash Bros or get outside to challenge friends to a pickleball match. These moments of leisure not only provide a mental break from work but also contribute positively to your physical health and social connections.

To further mediate stress levels after a long day, consider incorporating the following healthy habits into your self care routine after working long hours:

A warm shower or bath – Unwind with a soothing shower or bath. For added relaxation, add eucalyptus or essential oils to calm your mind and body.
A relaxing TV show– Choose a show or movie that helps you unwind and escape from the stresses of the day. Opt for genres that make you laugh or that engage your curiosity to take your mind away from the workday.
A home-cooked meal– Preparing and enjoying a nutritious meal can be both therapeutic and rewarding after a long day.
A round of exercise – Whether it's a brisk walk, a yoga session or a workout routine, the benefits of outdoor exercise and indoor exercise alike include helping release tension, bringing down stress levels and boosting endorphins.
Calming music – Listen to soothing music or nature sounds to create a tranquil atmosphere and boost your mood.
Your favorite book – Reading is a great way to disconnect from the day's stressors and escape into another world.
Time with loved ones– Spending quality time with family members, friends or pets can help boost your mood and feelings of community and support.
CBD treats– If you find them helpful, consider CBD edibles, including our CBD hemp oils for sale and CBD gummies for sale, which are known for their potential calming effects. What is oral CBD? Read up on this wellness tool before adding this step to your routine.

Zebra CBD: For Good Work-Life Balance

When working from home, achieving a good work-life balance is a feat unto itself. Fortunately, there are ways to battle the blurring of boundaries and maintain a healthy mindset through proper work-life integration.

To further bolster your mental and physical well-being and mend a work-life imbalance, choose Zebra CBD. From our CBD topicals to our edibles, our CBD products are created using premium hemp extract that delivers relief and respite with every serving.

Explore our CBD offerings to unlock a more balanced life.

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