Ahhh, balance. What the heck does that mean? How long you can stand on one foot? No, that’s not what I want to talk about today. I want to discuss the relationship between work life and personal life, and how important both are.
As May inches closer and closer, I’ve come to the conclusion that I will no longer be a college student. Staying up until 4 am with your friends, not going to happen anymore. Living with or within 5 minutes of the people you’ve grown so close to over these past 4 years, not going to happen anymore. This bubble of social perfection we have grown so accustomed to over these past 4 years, will be popped very soon. I have definitely not done the greatest job at processing this change that is about to happen. However, I know that it is coming. With knowing it is coming, I have been thinking about the topic of work-life balance.
In my college experience, my social life has been a top priority. Of course, COVID has put a damper on it this past year, but my friends and I have done the best we could with the circumstances we have been dealt. I realize as I head into the working world upon graduation, life won’t be like that anymore. I realize that for me and my mental health, taking time to step away and socialize is my happy place.
Looking 5 years into the future, I picture myself working successfully in the Public Relations field. This is a career that I realize isn’t just 9-5. A PR crisis most likely isn’t going to happen at 10 am on a Monday. These things happen on nights and weekends and I need to be available to help when called upon. Of course, this is why crisis management plans are put in place, but someone has to execute them! For the most part, on a daily basis, I’ll get to come home at 5 PM and enjoy my family.
I don’t want to be coming home when my kids are about to go to bed. For me, growing up dinner time was the one time during the whole day that my family would sit and talk to each other. This is something that I will be carrying over to my own family. I think that it was instrumental in the way I was raised. This all circles back to the work-life balance and being able to unplug and disconnect and spend QUALITY time with your friends and family. If your mind is somewhere else, then what is the point. I feel it is important to be fully connected and engaged with your loved ones when together. At the end of the day, the most important thing in our lives is the relationships we build. Your employer can and will hire a new worker. It’s nothing to be scared of, it’s just a fact.
When May hits, life will be different. But I plan on doing what makes me happy and surrounding myself with the people that bring that joy to me while being an awesome employee. Life is all about balance, and we all need to find ours.