The Balancing Act

You are walking a tightrope, looking down on the crowd below. The delicate edge of the rope seems to cut into your feet, and the terror begins to rise as you get further and further from the platform. The ringmaster, your fellow performers, and each and every member of the audience have plenty to say about each foot step you take. You must walk forward, while juggling multiple items, never allowing any to fall. You also have multiple trainees that you must teach. Then someone throws a hat at you. You have to add this hat to your already full ensemble. Responsibilities from the ground below taunt you, reminding you that you need to pay attention to them as well. Are you a circus performer? Nope, you are a teacher.

This scenario may seem extreme to anyone who is on the outside looking in, but this is how many teachers feel from time to time. The delicate balance needed to teach our students, while still maintaining a healthy personal life can be difficult to find. For the next couple of posts I would like to talk about ways to keep our feet securely where they belong at any given moment. This post will focus on how to make sure our personal lives are balanced with our work life.

Finding the balance between work and home is not a new stressor. Many other people have discussed this issue, and I think it is important to look at what some of them have said:

“Burnout is about resentment. Preventing it is about knowing yourself well enough to know what it is you’re giving up that makes you resentful.” – Marissa Mayer

“Invest in your work-life balance. Time with friends and family is as important as times at work. Getting that out of balance is a path toward unhappiness.” – Stephen Gillett

“We have overstretched our personal boundaries and forgotten that true happiness comes from living an authentic life fueled with a sense of purpose and balance.” – Dr. Kathleen Hall

“May you find the balance of life – time for work but also time for play. Too much of one thing ends up creating stress that no one needs in their life.” – Catherine Pulsifer

“Be steady and well-ordered in your life so that you can be fierce and original in your work.” – Gustave Flaubert

There are many more quotes that I could have shared, but I want to look at these for just a moment. The focus seems to be that if we let our personal lives fall to the wayside, then we cannot be as effective in our work. The balance can not be so skewed towards work that we lose the happiness and joy that come from a fulfilled personal life.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that you can just ignore your work responsibilities. What I am saying is that when you leave the tightrope and return to the ground, be fully present on the ground. Don’t let work worries and responsibilities make you miss the life that is waiting to be lived at home. So, my challenge for today is this: Do not take any of your grading, lesson planning, etc. home. Do not discuss your students or the teacher’s lounge drama with your friends/spouse/etc. Tonight, be fully present in the lives of those who you interact with outside of work, and only talk about things that have nothing to do with work. Just try it, and see if you feel any more refreshed for your day tomorrow.

Reference:

Say, J. (2021, August 5). 52 work-life Balance inspirational Quotes (stability). Gracious Quotes. Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://graciousquotes.com/work-life-balance-quotes/.