Finding a balance between personal and professional life for us women
In this article, I will be looking at finding a balance between our "personal and professional worlds". Since I am a woman myself, I decided to dedicate this article to you ladies.
Are you busy at work and don't have much time at home for your loved ones? Or, on the contrary, do you have stress at home and need to get away for a while to work?
Most women go through several phases in their lives: studying, part-time work, finding their first job, working, starting a family, maternity and parental leave, returning to work, for some changing jobs, and retiring.
Each of us has these phases in a slightly different order and we don't always go through them all. In our personal lives, we have different stories that are individual to each woman. Still, for your better idea of what other women may be experiencing, I have chosen these few phases that I will address in turn.
As we study, we decide what direction our "work steps" will take. At the same time, we deepen our knowledge and skills. It happens that we shift our direction a little from our original intention. Some of us manage to find our "dream job", for others the job is just a source of livelihood and a necessity.
I had long wished to do rehabilitation, but only gradually did I discover what all is hidden under this word. It's about the whole team working together. In the end, I chose Occupational Therapy as my field. However, my earlier dream was to become a writer, and it gradually evolved into a wish to write a book for other people.
Already during my studies some of us went on maternity leave. Others are looking for part-time jobs.
Such part-time jobs are often a source of extra income, a first attempt to become a little more independent from their parents. However, some manage to find a part-time job that is related to their later employment. We can also take the route of volunteering. This is the path I chose to start with. The advantage is that we get to know what the atmosphere is like in the place. We meet like-minded people, we can make new friends, and last but not least, volunteering brings mutual joy, for both volunteers and clients/patients.
The first job brings with it new experiences, at the same time we have to try to balance our personal and professional lives. Managing to devote time to loved ones, and friends and the hustle and bustle of work can be challenging for many people at first. But I believe that if we are in the right place, we will soon get used to it and manage to balance our responsibilities with our hobbies. Those for whom work is also a hobby have an advantage. It will make things much easier if we learn to organise our work well. I also don't recommend taking work home with you. Although I understand that some jobs are more demanding.
Difficulties can arise for people who work from home. Here the requirement to organize work is even more important, it is a good idea to set aside, for example, one room as a study and to learn to leave the 'working world' mentally when the door closes.
The same is especially true in the healthcare sector - learning to 'close the door' behind each patient. To devote oneself to something else and not to bring the worries of work home with you when you leave. I know that's sometimes easier said than done. It can also help us a lot if we have other interests. I mean, it's good if work is our hobby, but it's no longer good if it's our only hobby.
When we start a family, there is a period of further fine-tuning. We experience joyful moments interspersed with worries about our little ones.
Our children need us more, especially in the early years, but there are situations when women have to start working, for financial reasons, for example. At other times we experience at home the so-called "dip" I mentioned at the beginning of the text. Or we simply need to be around people more, we feel that we want to return to our work soon, etc. I, after 5 years at home on parental leave, felt like I needed to go back to work at all. After all, it's a long time and you forget... I have to say I was glad to get going again, there's something left in that head after all 🙂 . At the same time, a woman on maternity leave gets a kind of perspective and then it is easier to work.
Returning to work can often be easier than the first job, even if it's after a longer break. Of course, there are situations where a woman cannot return to her original profession. The reasons are often distance from home, but also finances, etc. When we have small children, we usually like to have our jobs as close as possible.
This involves changing jobs, which is often difficult for a woman because she is learning something completely new again. Yet women often prefer to do "any job", especially to have time for their husbands and children. I think that we can adapt work to suit our personal needs (attending to family, etc.) for a certain period of time. Still, I don't think it's necessary to change everything from the ground up. We should see what is important to us personally. If we do not want to lose our current job, we should look for possible solutions that suit us and our loved ones.
And what awaits us in retirement? Will we ever live to see one? These questions may be on some of your minds. It is said that in retirement we have more time for everything, but on the other hand, we often lose our strength. And while some women do have more time, they choose to devote it to other work - such as gardening, fixing up the house or apartment, returning to their original job for part of the week, or becoming grandmothers and taking care of grandchildren.
So in retirement, perhaps paradoxically, time can sometimes be short.
Our spouses, our life partners, accompany many of us in our lives, and they certainly deserve for us to make time for them. In our time together, let us fully appreciate each other and try to spend our time in a way that suits both of us. Of course, there are things that must be done, but much is our choice.
So my wish for all of us is that we find as much balance in our lives as possible and that each day is time used to its fullest ♥️.
Do you think you are managing to find a balance between work and personal life? If not, what would you need differently?
If so, would you advise others on how to do this?
