If you are in a leadership role, you likely have a lot on your plate. You know others are depending on you, and this sense of responsibility drives you to do your best to overcome any challenges or obstacles you face. This may require long hours and total commitment on your part, but your determination to succeed and see things through won’t allow you to rest until you have achieved your objectives and accomplished your goals.

This is a common story for people in leadership positions and to those dedicated to a cause. While this level of drive and commitment is admirable and perhaps even necessary for success, it can lead to problems, especially when it comes to maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Being overburdened and overstressed can lead to breakdowns that negatively affect your relationships at home and at the office, and the exhaustion that often accompanies overworking for prolonged periods of time can be seriously detrimental to your job performance and overall well-being. With that in mind, the following tips are designed to help you keep your mind, body, and spirit healthy as you strive to succeed.

Tips for Improving Your Mental Well-Being

  • Schedule breaks and downtime into your week. Plan to spend time with your family or to leave work a little earlier on certain days. Make time for hobbies you enjoy. Taking practical steps like these can alleviate stress and reinvigorate your mind.
  • Feed your curiosity and strive to learn something new. Don’t be afraid to take risks. This will help keep you out of a rut, and you will likely grow both in knowledge and in confidence.
  • Remove negative influences. Do not engage in activities that drag down your mental outlook or waste your time. If there is something on your to-do list that you know you will not get to, drop it from the list. There is no reason to let it impact your mood or feeling of accomplishment if it wasn’t realistic to believe that you could do it in the first place.

Tips for Improving Your Health

  • Get enough sleep. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the average adult should receive between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. Many people fall short of this on a consistent basis. Plan to get enough sleep to keep your mind and body strong for the next day. Short power naps of twenty minutes or so can also help you refresh during the course of a long.
  • Eat a well-balanced diet. Select foods that will give you the energy and strength you will need to feel your best. Don’t overeat due to stress or eat foods that may give you an initial pick-me-up but will ultimately make you feel worse by the end of the day. According to the CDC, only one in ten adults get enough fruits or vegetables, so make a concerted effort to get these helpful foods in your diet if you don’t already.
  • Keep active through movement and exercise. Taking walks can help you relax and improve your cardiovascular health. In addition to keeping you fit and strong, establishing an exercise regimen will give you more energy for tackling challenges at work. The Mayo Clinic also says that physical exercise can improve your thinking and memory.

Tips for Improving Your Spiritual Well-Being

  • Enhance the quality of your indoor workspace with positive lighting, scents, and sounds. This will improve the atmosphere and the moods of the people working in that environment.
  • Get outside in order to improve your energy and connectedness to life. Human beings are social animals, and as such we aren’t meant to toil in isolation in a factory, behind a desk, or in front of a monitor. Venturing into the natural world can lift our spirits and increase our sense of belonging.
  • Engaging in prayer or mindfulness exercises will allow you to experience the benefits of meditation and keep you relaxed. Doing this for just a few quiet minutes can be a great way to alleviate stress and refocus during a difficult day.

If you are burning out and feeling fatigued, these strategies can help bring you back to a more appropriate work-life balance. As a leader, you have a responsibility to yourself and others to maintain your health and general well-being. You will not be an effective leader without a sound mind, body, and spirit.

In fact, the dysfunction that could result from a breakdown in any of these areas could negatively impact all aspects of your life, including the lives of those who care for you. Therefore, it is imperative to refocus your priorities and routines if they are dangerously out of alignment or if you find that you no longer have a sense of joy in your life.

Do you need help achieving a healthy balance in your life? Our individualized personal leadership program will give you the knowledge and skills you need to create a good work-life balance. Contact us today or click here to learn more about our personal leadership training.