Forget Work-Life Balance, Pursue Well-Being Instead

Trying to fulfill professional, family, and personal responsibilities is a constant struggle for everyone. A Google search of work-life balance shows almost 200 million results. Juggling competing demands is especially hard for women. Today, women still have primary household and caregiving responsibilities, while most workplaces remain inflexible, with limited family policies and unrealistic expectations of 24/7 availability.

A failure to achieve work-life balance causes many people to experience high levels of stress. Chronic stress can lead to headaches, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular problems, diabetes, hormonal imbalances, and a weaker immune system. Stress also causes women to make decisions that have long-term consequences for their careers. In their failed struggle to find balance, many women feel their only option is to quit their jobs. Studies have found that almost half of women stop working at some point. Many later regret having walked away from a meaningful career.

The pursuit of work-life balance is an impossible goal. You might feel like you’ve achieved balance one day, but it won’t last. Work will continue to interfere with life, and life will interfere with work. A last-minute deadline might prevent you from getting to your daughter’s soccer match. You may miss an important meeting because you need to take your father to the doctor. If balance is your goal, you will surely fail.

A better goal is to improve your well-being. . . Continue reading here