Dear reader,

As I described in my previous blog, mental health is a process. A process with good days and bad days. A process of trial and error. I was on vacation for two weeks and it was wonderful: laying on the beach, walking through beautiful cities and eating delicious food. But when I returned from my holiday, I soon felt a little depressed. Back in the Netherlands, the weather is bad, I have less time for rest and relaxation and above all it was immediately busy again at work.

Balance at the workplace

My workload has ups and downs. There are months when it is extremely busy and months when it is very quiet. Of course, working in my sector also has its advantages: I can travel more often than most people, I am more off at times when everyone is working and I am very close to my colleagues, because during the busy months we share joys and sorrows.

But there are also disadvantages: during the busy months I work a lot of overtime, I work at the craziest times and I have little time for my family and friends. It is therefore difficult to keep the balance between enough exercise, sleep and nutrition.

Work pressure plan

My solution for a good balance during busy months is a plan when pressure rises. A plan with action points to better get through the busy months. 

This is in my plan:

• reserve one day a week for myself and unwind (no work mail and not answering any phone calls),
• make a clear plan every week for the upcoming week in which I block times in my work calendar, so that I get to the things I want to get done,
• start every day with a to-do list and prioritize with the Covey matrix. Which matters are urgent? What can be delayed or even skipped?
• visit or invite my family once a month,
• do not let work control my private life by talking about work or meeting colleagues in my free time,
• exercise at least once a week,
• meditate and / or walk at the start or after a busy day,
• plan nice weekends and/or days off.

And now … do it!

Although I had already anticipated the work pressure and how to deal with it, I felt down after my vacation. How did that happen? I ignored my own plan. The problem is, if I am doing well – and it went after the holidays – it’s easier to forget to use my plan. Meditating, talking with my partner, a walk, taking good care of myself with extra sleep and healthy eating: these are all things that I will only pay attention to when my mental wellbeing is getting worse. So it is good if I recognize my stress signals in time and I will not intervene until it is too late.

Now that I feel better again, I’m more motivated to follow my work pressure plan.

In my next blog I will tell you how the plan works! Keep you posted!

Love,

Mara