In today’s hectic work environment, it’s popular to encourage a certain separation of work and life that will supposedly allow individuals to have the best of both worlds without one negatively impacting the other. This is the myth of work/life balance. It presumes that our work lives and personal lives are mutually exclusive. It operates under the false assumption that we can leave the worries of our personal life at home and the stress and anxiety of our daily work diminishes when we clock out for the day. I believe that is a difficult, if not impossible, goal—a goal that I believe tends to increase one’s anxiety level rather than alleviate it.
Let me illustrate this with a personal example. When my father passed away, it was very sudden, and our family was not prepared emotionally or practically to deal with an unexpected death. I was out of town on a business trip and dropped everything to be with my mother and siblings. The concept of work/life balance suddenly falls apart in this type of circumstance. If I subscribed to a work/life balance lifestyle, then it stands to reason that after the funeral, I should be able to separate the circumstances of my father’s death from my work duties and focus intently on being productive. That’s impractical. It was impossible for me to separate my work from my personal life during the grieving process and go back to the life I’d had just a few short days prior. I needed to adjust my priorities.
A work/life balance coach may grant an exception in these types of life-altering situations. But there are many difficult life situations that can affect us deeply and have long-term impact. What about those with a difficult marriage or who are going through a divorce? What about parents who are struggling with a rebellious child? Or perhaps the loss of a child? What about a serious medical or health issue with yourself or a loved one? What about those struggling financially and worrying about paying the rent?
