Work/Life Balance and You:

Taking the Oxymoron OUT of Social Work!

Aaron M. Swart, BS, MSW

VIDEO

• Can any of you identify with Adam

Sandler?

• How about Adam’s partner in the movie?

His kids?

• Does YOUR life feel out of control?

• Wish you could “CLICK” the remote and

make some changes?

Goals For Our Time Together…

• Understand that our own work/life

balance or lack thereof affects

everything we do and impacts everyone

we relate to

• Utilize what we already know to help

ourselves achieve more balance in our

lives

• Reconnect with what’s important to each

of us by initiating our own work/life plan

Work/Life Balance: What IS that?

(Wikipedia):

Work-life balance is a broad concept including

proper prioritizing between career and ambition

on one hand, compared with pleasure, leisure,

family and spiritual development on the other.

Can this be achieved?

Survey Says…

According to a national public opinion poll

conducted by the American Psychological

Association, two-thirds of both men and women

say work has a significant impact on their stress

level, and one in four has called in sick or taken

a “mental health day” as a result of work stress.

Also a significant concern for employers, job

stress is estimated to cost U.S. industry $300

billion a year in absenteeism, diminished

productivity, employee turnover and direct

medical, legal and insurance fees.

Source: http://www.phwa.org/resources/creatingahealthyworkplace/

Work or Life…that is the question!

•

HOW DO WE CHOOSE WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT?

Where Are You Right Now?

© 2002 Worklifebalance.com, Inc. Source: http://www.worklifebalance.com/assets/pdfs/casestudy.pdf

Gut Check…

• Health/physical-emotional-mental-spiritual fitness-

what’s important to you?

• Time Management Preferences?

• What’s the Big Picture?

Adapted from: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1806/How-to-Create-Your-Personal-Work-Life-Balance-Plan.html

How Does Your Day Begin?

• What are the messages we tell

our clients each day?

• What are the messages we tell

ourselves each day?

Things We Ask Our Clients…

• What do YOU want?

• What are your strengths?

• What resources do you have currently?

• What are your challenges?

• How can I help you reach your goal?

• How realistic do you think this is…?

• What is your reasoning behind (you name it)…?

Things We May Tell Ourselves…

My Clients Need ME!

No One Else Will Do It Like I Can!

My Dreams Can Wait…

Paradigm Shift…

• What if we took time to do for ourselves what

we may already be doing for our clients?

• What would that look like for each of us?

Guilt? Natural?

~What we’re used to we re-create…

Be Intentional…Self-Advocate!

• A willingness to do something differently

• Counting the costs of NOT creating a plan

• Accountability

• Endurance!

Seen these before?

• What is MY Long-Range Outcome? (Ensure that this is an outcome desired by the individual, and not a goal belonging to others.)

• Where am I now in relation to MY outcomes?

• What is/are my Short Range Goal(s)?

• What Supports/Interventions will help me

to reach my goals?

• What is working best in my life right now?

• What is NOT working in my life right now?

• My Health/Behavioral Concerns?

• My Barriers to Success?

Questions adapted from: http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/MHDDSAS/pcp.htm

The PCP: A Work/Life Tool!

1). Use Slides 14, 16, and 17 to guide you as you

create your plan (I’ll go over these):

a. Answer three questions for yourself on slide #12.

YOU pick!

b. Peruse items from slide # 13 as you go, and

c. Incorporate ideas from slide #14 that fit you the best!)

Questions adapted from: http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/MHDDSAS/pcp.htm

Tips While Creating Your Plan…

• Give yourself time to brainstorm;

write down your goals

• Keep your goals highly visible

(at work and home)

• Let others know you are serious;

recruit positive influences

• Make sure that you give yourself

and others time to adjust to goals

• Allow the process to unfold;

keep short accounts of progress

Be Proactive vs. Reactive!

• Go for a walk.

• Spend time in nature.

• Call a good friend.

• Sweat out tension

with a good workout.

• Write in your journal.

• Take a long bath.

• Listen to music.

• Watch a comedy.

Adapted from: http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm

• Light scented candles

• Savor a warm cup of

coffee or tea.

• Play with a pet.

• Work in your garden.

• Get a massage.

• Curl up with a good book.

Deliberate Self-Care Strives To…

• Seek balance.

• Combine detachment with doing our part.

• Balance giving with receiving.

• Alternate work with play, business with

personal activities.

• Balance tending to our spiritual needs

with tending to our other needs.

• Juggle responsibilities to others with

responsibilities to ourselves.

• Balance caring about others with caring

about ourselves.

“Whenever possible, let's be good to others,

but be good to ourselves, too.” -Melody Beattie

• Source: Beattie, M. (1990). The language of letting go. New York: Harper Collins, p. 84.

Work/Life Web Resources

• http://www.helpguide.orgThis site is a comprehensive, non-profit balance site dealing

with myriad topics such as mental health, relationships, and

anger management at any age.

• http://www.mayoclinic.com/The Mayo Clinic has a section of their website dedicated to

Work/Life balance as it relates to physical health and stressors!

• http://www.livestrong.com/Inspired by Lance Armstrong, this site is full of ideas,

inspiration, and blogs to help you reach your goals