Exercise more, eat better, do more for the community, spend more time with our family, connect more with our friends, develop more skills for our work, ahhhh, how much more can we do?
I know I am not alone by sharing that once or twice (okay way more times) in my life I have felt stressed. I’m hiding so no one would find me, yelling at my phone to be quiet and on the brink wanting to rip up my to-do list and run to the mountains. Anyone with me?
If we stop and think about the events that lead up to these meltdowns, we play a big part in getting ourselves into the situation. We keep saying yes when we want to say no, we sleep in when knowing we need to get up, we scroll through social media even though we are time poor.
Harsh as it may be, our frenetic pace, racing from one meeting to the next and the constant pursuit of ‘more’ is affecting our ability to take time out, slow down and refuel. With our bodies and minds constantly ‘switched on’, our health, wellbeing and relationships are increasingly paying the price. We need to stop!
Published in 2016, a national survey from R U OK?, a charity focusing on mental health and suicide prevention, found Australians spend an average of 46 hours of their weekly downtime looking at their TVs and digital devices, compared to an average of six hours engaging with family and friends.
While at work a poll conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) also in 2016 found the experience of burnout was one of the most significant reasons that individuals left their current position, seeking employers who offered opportunities for a balance between work and personal life.