Counselling & Psychotherapy

Counselling London Psychotherapy – Central London Counselling Services - Work Life Balance - Counsellor London Camden Psychotherapist
Work Life Balance

Unmotivated At Work Some of us may be bored or unmotivated, unfulfilled or unsatisfied or dread going into work – that Monday morning feeling, which can affect our moods & relationships with others. Alienated, we may be spending so much of our energy & time at work, that we have become resentful of the costs to us & others. The counselling can explore these effects & options with you, alongside your attitude & how you use your time when working.

Overworking In a competitive world, fully committed to work, some of us can be so busy earning money, climbing up the career ladder, or indeed having made it to the top, that we overlook other important aspects. Some of us may work so hard so we don't have to think about other things. Striving to be successful, there can be a cost to our achievements. We can constantly worry about work, finding it hard to switch off, as if we are on "auto-pilot". We may throw everything into our work & become absent at home, or socially stagnant. Working hard our behaviour may have become obsessive, e.g. constantly checking emails, messages, texts, etc, yet we experience alienation or disconnection inside of us. Buried in our work, our very seIf has stopped fully living in other aspects. We can feeI empowered at work, yet disempowered outside work. We can work hard, with little time for selfnurturing. The counselling & psychotherapy can also explore "healthy obsessions" like our passions & interests, so it is not either our work or life which flourishes, but both – work life balance.

Control & Perfectionism A need for perfection & being over-demanding of ourselves can also affect our work-life balance. We may struggle to have a standard which is simply good enough. Needing to control everything, we may have a never satisfied, impatient taskmaster inside of us, nagging us to move on to the next work challenge, without taking time out or enjoying our achievements. Binge working, it may seem as if we are on an endless conveyor belt of productivity, yet are empty inside, so we fill our emptiness up with more work. In some aspects we may be out of control, so our need to be in control may come out through our need to work so hard or long hours (see Not Knowing – Our Need To Be In Control). "How can I prioritise me over work?" – may be a challenge for some.

Unreasonable Expectations Sometimes it is us that have unreasonable expectations. We may persuade ourseIf that once we complete the task, we can then take it easy, creating our own office or work related stress. Things always seem to take longer than we have imagined, and other tasks are queuing up behind. We may struggle to accept that we can't complete everything. On other occasions it may be our boss. Our work-life balance has become out of kilter. We can become increasingly miserable. We may have an unrealistically high workload & receive minimal support. We may be expected to be available and on-call whenever contacted. This can affect our relationships, physical health, emotional wellbeing & psychological health.

Work-Life Balance Work-life balance can be an easy concept, yet difficult to achieve. Some of us may overcommit ourselves at work or become overburdened with responsibilities. There is always work to do, and usually too much. Proud of our independence, we may view asking for help as a sign of weakness. Some may believe they have a work-life balance, yet in reality they binge work until they drop and collapse. It is only then they take a rest. We may need help knowing and setting our limits, and finding a balance between work & play. We may struggle to make time for pleasurable tasks or take breaks, and it is only after we take time to enjoy life, relax & rest that we are refreshed. Our quality of work & attitude to work usually improves. Counselling & psychotherapy can help with your own work-life balance problems.

The Price We May Pay We can set up work scenarios, making us indispensable, or believe we are. We may struggle with balancing pressure & stress. We can become hooked on our work, or need to achieve – always giving more. We may have allowed our work to define who we are as if our identity & sense of worth can solely be based on the work we do. Overworking, workaholism, work addiction, like excessive alcohol, can be used to fill a void. This void may include a sense of emptiness, loneliness or helplessness (see also Avoiding Difficult Feelings). Behaving like a workaholic, some of us may struggle to switch off from our work preoccupation. We may constantly think or even dream about work, being so work driven, "married to work" or indeed addicted to work, that we overlook who is driving - ourseIf. Ill health & burnout can result. Fear of failure can also be a driver for some, whereas others can put all their energy into the demands of their work, so they can ignore uncomfortable emotions or relationship difficulties. Our work & achievements can replace intimacy in relationships & friendships. Our personal life may be not as enjoyable as it could be. We may also neglect other passions, interests, leisure & pleasure, joy, physical wellbeing, time for personal reflection, sense of community or spiritual growth, whatever that means for you. Counselling & psychotherapy can help you explore your intrinsic worth & question with you, whether you want to structure yourself around your work or vice versa.

Successful People We can so strongly identify with our work, that who we actually are can be overlooked. Selfemployed people, or those running their own company or business (especially if it is their own "little baby"), are particularly at risk. People who travel much or work from home may have their own challenges, as the boundaries between working & living can become blurred. The difficulties of balancing our work & the rest of our life touches many of us, and includes well educated, successful, creative, financially stable people at the top of their professions: - you may be a "name" or celebrity in your field. Balancing our work & life can be challenging for artists, high-flyers or achievers, entrepreneurs, directors, chief executives, senior managers, medical consultants, businessmen & businesswomen. Our status or achievements may no longer be enough. This may particularly apply to celebrities or VIPs. (See also Our Identity)

The Cost The buzz & camaraderie, tireless striving & competitiveness, sense of achievement & accomplishment, recognition & status, can be fulfilling & bring rewards, as can experience of being at the creative cutting edge. Yet, this may be all at a cost. After achieving what we wanted we may still experience emptiness inside, and this sense of emptiness can be explored in the therapy. As we expend great energy & time in our work, we may have a sense of something missing in our lives. We may have lost our sense of worth or what we value. We may want to seek various goals important to us, other than financial or work satisfaction. We may be restless inside, yet not know why. Our measures of success may no longer work (see also Our Identity). Existential concerns may also arise as can the need to live to our full potential.

Other Work Problems Counselling & psychotherapy can also offer help with other work related issues. These may include work motivation, organisational or structural changes, bullying or harassment (racial, sexual or other) at work, unfulfilling work, redundancy or retirement concerns.