Any high-performer knows that the secret to long-term success is a matter of balancing both your professional and personal needs. It’s easy to take on too much work for too long and find yourself ill, exhausted or unable to cope. As you can imagine, this balance is even more critical for those with a chronic illness. . Here are six things to keep in mind.
Time management – This is important both at work and at home. Because both your physical and mental health are keys to high-performance you need to make sure you have time to eat properly, exercise, take necessary medication or physical therapy, enjoy a hobby, as well as spend time with friends and family. You’ll also want to make sure you block time for all your health care appointments if you have them.
Prioritize – As you can see, our personal lives are often as busy and stressful as our professional ones. Know what you can handle and don’t try to take on too much in one day. Just remember what’s most important to your own health or condition and make sure that that’s done first.
Learn to Say No – This is part of prioritizing. There will always be demands from other people – both in your professional and person life. Once you have decided what is important and what you can handle – learn to say no to those things and people you can not accommodate.
The importance of down time – Leading a life which is regimented from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed will likely seem exhausting or unappealing. Make sure you include a certain amount of “down time”. Don’t schedule it but factor it into your day so that you can rest or relax when you need to.
Have a support structure – Having a chronic illness is a lonely proposition, as very few people will understand the challenges you face. Find people you can talk to – an empathetic spouse, a close family member, someone with similar challenges or even a support group.
Be gentle with yourself – Life isn’t easy, particularly when you’re sick. It is natural to beat yourself up over goals you haven’t accomplished or decisions you feel you could have made better. You are dealing with something difficult and I can bet you’re handling things much better than you think you are.
All of these things are easy to remember, but difficult to execute. Keep in mind things will never be perfect. Avoid feeling guilty about things you are unable to do. Your life is always a work in progress.
