A6
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
MAY 2019
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Work allows you to provide for
yourself and your family while also
serving a purpose in the community,
but when it takes over your life, it
can negatively affect your health.
WORK-LIFE BALANCE IS IMPORTANT
People who feel they
have good work-life
balance are more
satisfied with their
jobs, their life, and
experience fewer
symptoms of
depression and
anxiety.
Of adults employed
full time in the
United States, nearly
40% reported
working at least 50
hours per week and
18% work 60 hours
or more.
WHAT WE’VE LEARNED FROM RECENT WORK HEALTH SURVEYS
More than half of the people who responded to recent Work
Health Surveys say that they do unhealthy things (e.g. drink, use
drugs, lashing out at others) to come with workplace stress.
Over 75% of people are afraid of getting punished for taking a
day off to attend to their mental health.
More than two-thirds of
people have had their sleep
negatively affected by
workplace issues.
People who work in manufacturing,
retail, and food/beverage jobs were
most likely to report that work
stress “Always or Often” impacted
their personal relationships.
HEALTH SUFFERS WHEN WORK TAKES OVER YOUR LIFE
The mental and physical health impacts of
workplace burnout and stress are estimated to
cost as much as $190 billion per year ($6,025 per
second) in healthcare spending in the U.S.A
Poor work-life balance increases your risk for
health conditions like sleep problems, digestive
disorders, and mental health problems. This is
especially true for people who work longer shifts
or on nights and weekends.
Working overtime increases the likelihood of
having symptoms of depression, especially in men.
PARENTS and WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Many parents are overworked and exhausted, surviving on minimal free
time! The average mom gets only 17 minutes of free time to herself each
day. It’s essential that parents care for themselves - FIRST, for their own well-
being, but also because any effort they put into self-care also has huge
payoffs for their children. When parents “fill their own cup”, they have
more patience, energy, and passion to spread to their families.
New research shows that people can be taught to embrace self-care
strategies to minimize effects of burnout, including depersonalization,
emotional exhaustion, and stress perception.
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