COLAP WELLBEING CORNER
| BY ASHLEY BALDWIN
T H E A RT OF
BA L A NCE
2020
was a difficult year for a variety of reasons and, for many professionals, it highlighted the difficulty of finding a work-life balance and emphasized the need for one. Whether you are a parent or not, most people’s obligations have increased as the methods of communication and work flow we use have shifted. Most of us are pulled in multiple directions every day. Thankfully, there are simple, free techniques we can use to feel in more control and balanced. When I became pregnant with my first child, a respected colleague told me, “Once you have children you will never feel like you are able to give 100% to being a mom and/or 100% to being a therapist.” At the time, hearing this felt discouraging, as it might for any new parent, but it was one of the best pieces of advice I’ve received. Balancing work and home life is tough, especially when children or other family members are involved. Work constantly needs you
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and home always needs you. This isn’t meant to be discouraging but rather to emphasize the need for finding balance.
Why Is Balance Important? We know stress has multiple effects on us and can actually create biochemical responses in our brain. A Harvard study published in August of 2018 showed that the effects of stress include memory loss and changes in our mood, as well as the creation of anxiety and depression, which can promote inflammation, which in turn impacts heart health. Think back to the year 2020 for a minute (I am currently writing this at the end of 2020, so the optimist in me is hoping that 2021 has significantly calmed down by the time you are reading this). This was the year of stress. We underwent multiple changes and had to quickly adapt to new situations. During this time, did you find that it was hard to remember things? Did you find that you could easily
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forget what you were about to say or what someone was saying to you? A study in the Washington Post found that only three months into the COVID-19 pandemic, half of Americans were reporting that the pandemic was negatively impacting their mental health. One federal hotline for substance abuse and mental health reported a 1,000% increase in calls in April of 2020, compared to April of 2019. If you have found that over the last year you have experienced increased anxiety or depression and have had a harder time finding balance, you are not alone. Here are some tips to cultivate balance regardless of where you are working. Schedule fun things and self-care into your calendar. For many professionals, we live by our schedule, so we can use it as a tool for increasing self-care. When we block off time on our calendar for personal appointments, exercise, or a lunch break, we are more likely to take it and not plug a
