Black Collegian Career Center

Vanessa’s devotion had not gone unnoticed. She was proud to have achieved a supervisory position over several claims specialists. Despite all this, Vanessa was experiencing increased feelings of dissatisfaction and emptiness. She found herself receiving less social invitations. Once an avid reader, she rarely had time to browse through bookstores or curl up with a good book. Her previous community service volunteer efforts had come to a screeching halt. She was weary--and frustrated. Why? The answer was quite simple--her life had become totally one-dimensional.

Success-minded people are vulnerable to leading imbalanced lives. Does Vanessa’s story sound familiar to you? If your job is not kept in proper perspective, it will take a toll on your emotional health. Can you afford it? You can restore your balance by following these words of advice:

LEARN TO REWARD YOURSELF

Vanessa was like an eager puppy, hoping for approval from her manager, Janet. She felt extraordinarily motivated when Janet gave her any sort of recognition. Vanessa realized that this overdependence on Janet for approval was not healthy. Her first priority had to be to feel good about her efforts, regardless of what Janet or anyone else thought. Her personal sense of accomplishment had to be gratifying enough to accelerate her toward future challenges. Rather than remaining starved for attention, and working inordinate hours for “crumbs” of acknowledgement, Vanessa focused on achieving gratification from giving her best effort--regardless of whether or not it was acknowledged.

PUT YOUR HEALTH FIRST

A healthy lifestyle should never take a back seat to a crushing workload. Vanessa had fallen into this trap by neglecting exercise, constantly eating fast-food, and allowing herself to become sleep-deprived and run-down. After making some sorely needed changes in her life, she noticed a huge difference in her approach to her personal well-being and career--and a higher feeling of self-esteem.

If you don’t make your health a priority, who will? After developing the habit of operating on overdrive at work, it may seem peculiar at first to devote time to your health. In fact, you may feel guilty--as if you are neglecting your work. Don’t let that deter you, though. It will only take a few weeks of eating healthy, exercising, and getting proper rest, to realize you’re doing the right thing. In fact, it will be impossible to ignore the difference in your energy level--and peace of mind.

CHANGE YOUR OUTLOOK TOWARDS STRESS

Vanessa understood that her job would never be easy. But she could still change her outlook towards stress. Was it really necessary to go full throttle all day, with an expression of constant worry? Vanessa realized she was magnifying her stress by acting as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. She watched other successful people at the office who had balanced lives. They found the time to take lunch breaks and enjoyed socializing with coworkers rather than operating like a machine locked in overdrive.

When Vanessa began changing her outlook and remaining calm in the face of stress, she noticed a reduction in overall tension within the team--and higher productivity.

REPROGRAM ONE-DIMENSIONAL THINKING

Vanessa’s self-worth was totally dependent on how things were going at work. If something went wrong in the office, it would ruin her day. Why? Because she had nothing else in her life to soften the blow! Vanessa realized she must break this cycle. She had to refocus her thinking to include other priorities.

Try making a list of important people in your life, and then reflect on how much time you are spending on them. Don’t your friends and family deserve equal time to the energy you are pouring into your job? Commit to stop ignoring loved ones as if they will be around forever. Give yourself permission to enjoy leisure time. Make evening and weekend plans that do not involve work. These steps will surely help you regain equilibrium in your life.

Implementing these four simple steps made a positive impact on Vanessa. She is still a highly dedicated employee. It is simply no longer at the expense of her emotional or physical health. If your job is getting in the way of a satisfying, fulfilling life--you have allowed it to do so. The good news is, you can recover your balance--and increase your chances of personal and employment success in the process.

Kathy Simmons is a Director of Claims and Administration in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a frequent contributor of career-related articles to a number of publications.