Work, family, everyday life, friends, health, … and somewhere in between you yourself are in danger of getting lost. Do you know that?
Important to see: The problem is not that you need to “organize yourself better”. A large part of what makes it so difficult to combine work and family life is structural.
The most important things at a glance: Reconciling work and family life
- Change of perspective on care work: Childcare and housework are not leisure time, but real work that costs energy and must be made visible.
- Share mental load: It is not enough to simply distribute tasks. Planning and mental responsibility must also be shared fairly in the partnership.
- Courage to be imperfect: perfectionism is impossible in everyday life with a family. Setting priorities is the key to more relief.
- Set boundaries: An occasional clear “no” is essential for a healthy balance.
- Small routines, big impact: short moments of self-care can be a boon for your mental balance.
How can you reconcile work and family life without constantly overextending yourself?
The good news is that there are strategies that can take the pressure off you. We present 5 of them here:
- Strategy 1: Make care work visible
- Strategy 2: Consciously share responsibility
- Strategy 3: Priorities instead of perfection
- Strategy 4: Set boundaries, even on a small scale
- Strategy 5: Create small routines for yourself
How does it help to make care work visible?
By becoming aware of your care work, you can set boundaries and make decisions more easily. The first step towards more relief is therefore a change of perspective.
Looking after the family and the household is not leisure time, but work. Organizing the family’s tasks and appointments, providing emotional support for children, helping with homework, providing daily meals, taking care of laundry, shopping and tidiness, … All of this is care work and takes a lot of energy.
This is exactly what you should make visible to yourself and others: For one week, write down exactly what you do for the family and how much time you need for it!
Why should we consciously share responsibility?
Having to keep an eye on everything in the family can be a huge mental strain. And it is precisely this that should be distributed more fairly.
In most families, far too much responsibility still lies with women. This should finally come to an end!
Sharing tasks in a partnership doesn’t just mean distributing to-dos. Sharing responsibility is almost more important. For example, who makes sure that presents are ready for the holidays? Who keeps an eye on examinations, meal planning and parents’ evenings? All of this contributes to mental load.
Why are priorities more important than perfection?
Let’s be honest: it‘ s simply not possible to get all everyday tasks perfect. But it’s not necessary either. Many of the demands placed on women in particular are completely exaggerated.
So ask yourself every day which tasks are really important today and which can wait! Then it will be messy and dinner won’t be presented in a photo-worthy way. And? Allow yourself not to be perfect in your tasks! Because that’s impossible anyway.
How can you set boundaries, even on a small scale?
“No” is your most important word when it comes to more relief and a healthy work-life balance. Are you constantly expected to work unjustified overtime at work or take on extra tasks? Does your partner expect you to stay at home with the sick child every time? Volunteer help is requested at the children’s school? No! Practice setting boundaries, even for supposedly small things!
How can you create small routines for yourself?
You yourself often fall short when it comes to balancing family and career, don’t you? You should do something about that! Self-care doesn’t have to be elaborate. Even small rituals and routines often make a big difference.
- A conscious evening routine can be a moment that belongs to you alone. For example, how about using a very special night cream as part of your evening ritual? Our SUFREYA night cream is perfect for this. It contains probiotic active ingredients and only releases the ingredients gradually so that your skin can benefit from them.
- Fixed habits relating to nutrition or everyday life can also be part of such routines. For example, you could SILICIUM PRIME into your morning routine. This valuable food supplement not only provides your body with valuable minerals and vitamins, but also gives you the good feeling of treating yourself with care. The calcium and magnesium it contains, for example, contribute to a normal energy metabolism, which can be particularly beneficial in challenging times.
Why is the term “work-life balance” often misleading?
The image of a good work-life balance falls far too short: it only distinguishes between work and leisure time. However, women in particular know how much additional unpaid care work they do.
For mothers to return to work successfully, a family-conscious HR policy is needed: flexible working models, working from home, flexible working hours. This allows family and career to be reconciled and companies also benefit from this.
