Work + Life Balance by Kristen B. Taber

I’m not going to lie, I’ve been dreading writing this blog for oh, 3+ months now. We thought life outside of a worldwide pandemic was hectic but boy were we wrong; 2020 takes the cake. Prior to the stay at home order, I felt surprisingly balanced. I was doing yoga regularly, putting date nights on the calendar, spending time with friends and managing multiple companies. Then, March happened and my world was turned upside down. I started baking cookies almost every night, binge-watching Tiger King on Netflix and spiraling to a really dark mental place. Luckily, I have an amazing husband, family members and great friends who all helped me to get out of those stretchy pants and be the boss babe they knew I was capable of being, even during a pandemic. 

I’m juggling this whole work-life balance thing to the best of my ability and trust me, I’m no pro. I just hope that my words will empower someone out there. Here are some of my tips and tricks for dealing with the stressors of life and work. Hopefully these will help you maintain that “balance” we are all searching for.

Lean on your friends and family

My husband is my rock and quite honestly the reason why I get up every morning (mainly because I’m a light sleeper and he always wakes up before me! haha). We do our best to have regular “power meetings” where we go over business happenings, what we need to work on for the week ahead, and big picture life things. These meetings get me centered for the week ahead and set the tone for what I need to work towards. Lean on your spouse or a bestie to start having these meetings. Accountability is the best!

I also check in with friends and family members regularly. Whether it’s a short text, hour long phone call or a Zoom happy hour, it’s been important to stay connected during this time. PS. I really love the HouseParty app. It’s a fun way to play games with your friends and family, plus it offers video chat capabilities.

Schedule things to look forward to

I’m an avid traveler and being tied down to my house has been tough (to say the least!). Luckily, travel restrictions are easing up and many hotels are taking precautions to keep guests safe and healthy. If you love to travel or simply need a quick day trip to break up the routine, get it on the calendar. I have a fun countdown app that lets me know when something fun is coming up! It’s always exciting to watch the days tick by. If travel isn’t your thing quite yet, schedule something else to look forward to - it can be anything from a picnic in the park with your significant other or a socially distanced coffee date with your bestie. I find that scheduling calls, travel excursions, and virtual or real-life outs ahead of time are really great for me. It allows me to have something to look forward to and I know I cannot schedule anything work related over these time slots. 

Get outside

Whether you have a yard or paved sidewalks in your neighborhood, getting outside for a quick 10 minute break will do you some good. Vitamin D will instantly boost your mood. When I’m feeling stressed (or freezing because of my office’s hardcore A/C), I’ll put on my sunglasses and go for a quick walk. I also have a hammock set up at home and laying in it for a few minutes will melt my worries away. Seriously, game changer!

Do something for YOU!

Along the same lines of scheduling something to look forward to, it’s also important to do something for YOU! I look forward to my hair appointments every 8 weeks and nothing will come between me and Sheyla, my amazing hair stylist. Think of something you can do for yourself, and make it often! You deserve quality “me” time where you can be alone with your thoughts and center yourself. Some things off the top of my head that I love to do for me: a bubble bath, a glass of wine while listening to my favorite “chill” spotify playlist, and getting my nails done.

Exercise

Not going to lie, I’m not doing an awesome job with my exercise routine these days. It’s always something I’ve struggled with and when I’m doing great at my routine, it’s like I’m a maniac working out every single day at the same exact time. But then, something inside me just mad halts and I lose all motivation. Trust me when I say, when I’m doing really bad at my exercise routine, it’s really bad. Like, we’re talking nonexistent. 

That’s when I go back to leaning on my friends. Try to schedule a virtual yoga class with a friend and when she doesn’t see you showing up on that Zoom call in your yoga mat, have her call you out. Again, accountability is key! I’ve found (for me) that working out with someone else makes it so much easier.

Try easing your way back into working out if it’s been a while. Walking is super awesome and try doing this when you have a day packed full of calls. Almost every day I go on a walk while chatting with clients or listening in to a conference call.

Meditation

Again, definitely not a pro at meditation but it’s something I love to do every day. Find what works best for your routine. It could be a quiet 5 minutes in the morning or in the evening. I’ve been finding that evening meditation right before I go to bed helps to ease my mind. 

There are so many wonderful apps out there that you can download to guide you through meditation. I personally like “Insight Timer” - it guides you through meditation, helps you cope with anxiety, manage stress, etc. 

Quiet your mind and listen to calming music while you meditate. Pro tip: download the “Relaxing Massage” or “Yoga & Meditation” playlist on Spotify.