LIFESTYLE
illustration of woman holding yoga pose with ball and platform balancing "Helpful Hacks for Creating a Healthy Work-Life Balance" typography
D

o you think about work when you lay your head down on the pillow at night, wondering, Did Buster get his nail trim? Did I fill that prescription? Did I stock exam 4?

I’ve worked with thousands of veterinary professionals, of all roles, and let me assure you that, even if it appears like you’re the only one in your clinic who’s worrying about these types of things off the clock—even though you desperately want a break—you are not. And when we don’t have mechanisms in place to create proper boundaries around our personal lives and our work, both can suffer. The good news is, there are hacks you can use!

1. Create a time buffer.
One of the most effective ways to cultivate a healthy level of detachment is to create a solid time buffer between ending work (this includes phone discussions) and interacting with your family and vice versa. Just resting in your car for five minutes before opening the next door will give your body and mind the space and time to recalibrate, coming closer to neutral.

Don’t get me wrong, when the going is good, a beautiful interaction can really enhance the day. For example, you had a great day at work and you carry that energy into a cheerful greeting when you pick up your kids from school. But, such as life, there are ebbs and flows, so when you are in an ebb—say in a disagreement at home and then you go to work—you carry that with you too.

2. Make a commitment to not gossip or complain.
Rather than coming home and spewing out the worst parts of your day with the people you live with, talk about something unrelated, maybe even uplifting. I’m all for the people in our lives having a complete picture of what is going on inside of us, but we want to shift our own mindset and the relationship dynamics of how—or more importantly why—we share those intimate details into something more productive. Steer your conversations to happen more intentionally, with a clear, constructive objective in mind, rather than just ping-ponging all the things that are wrong or heavy that you’re battling in an attempt to resolve, brainstorm, solve and so forth.
When you journal, and things are going fantastic, you can look back at the “recipe” to recreate that positivity more often.
open book illustration

When you journal, and things are going fantastic, you can look back at the “recipe” to recreate that positivity more often.

The next step to this is having boundaries for when these conversations take place so they aren’t invading every second of what should be quality time spent with loved ones or your personal time to decompress. Remember, boundaries are guiding rules to which there can be exceptions; for example, not talking about the big stuff in the evenings or in bed. Talk about it in the morning when you ideally are working at generating positive energy through your outlook, what you listen to on the drive to work, meditation, etc.
3. Keep a productivity journal.

Gain clarity by using productivity journals to reflect on and plan your day/week/month/year. This affords you an alternative perspective while allowing you to make refinements along the way. Here are a few key questions to ask yourself to prompt your journaling:

  • What matters most to me right now and why?
  • Am I giving my attention to that something that matters or am I giving it away to things that show up as urgent but aren’t truly important to me?
  • If I am, how can I gently guide myself back to what is genuinely important and deserves a higher priority of my time, energy and attention?
  • How do I want to show up for myself and others?
  • What is a situation that may stress me out and how would my best self handle it?
  • What does it look like and feel like to separate work and home?

The answers are different for everyone and you have to define them, otherwise you’re aimlessly wandering and you don’t know when you’ve hit your mark or missed it. When you journal, and things are going fantastic, you can look back at the “recipe” to recreate that positivity more often. If you don’t, how do you know which levers to pull? Levers being time with friends, cooking dinner, morning snuggles, going for a hike, having help from teammates during closing hours, using software to get notes done faster, etc.

4. Recover by using the ABC’s.
Let’s say stuff hits the fan. You have an outburst the moment you walk in the door and your family gets the brunt of your negative wave of emotions. Or, if you’re alone, you lose control of yourself, make poor decisions about what to eat, fall asleep on the couch and feel lousy when you wake up. To recover, apply the ABC’s:

  • ACCEPT: Give yourself grace. We’re human—things happen and it’s healthy to be okay when things aren’t okay.
  • BE OPEN: Be verbally open and honest with yourself and your family while committing to doing better next time. For example, “I apologize for taking my anger out on you, something happened that upset me and I’ll share the details when I’m in a better state.” Or to yourself, “That really sucked last night. I know I’ll be overwhelmed again and here’s what I’ll do to prevent another downward spiral.”
  • CALM: Do something to calm your nervous system. Maybe it’s taking a shower (water has tremendous benefits on lowering our stress, and the privacy can be a place of refuge) or maybe it’s taking a walk. But there’s a difference between storming through your house, making a beeline for the shower and openly communicating something like, “Hey there, I’m going to take 30 minutes to quiet my mind and then we’ll watch a movie together.” Or send a text, “Once I park I’m going for a walk to the end of the street, and then I’ll be inside.”

You may say to yourself, I don’t have the time or energy for that. But I assure you the time spent will be well worth it and it will save you time and energy later.

In addition to employing these hacks to create a healthy separation from work and home life, it’s important to continue educating yourself on ways you can enhance your quality of life. As veterinary professionals, we have that conversation thousands of times in our careers, and it’s high time you have it with yourself. Give yourself permission to prioritize it.

Renee Machel headshot
Renee Machel is a nationally recognized wellbeing speaker, certified life coach, CYT 200 yoga instructor, mindfulness, and meditation guide. As the co-founder of Get MotiVETed she aims to provide a positive impact on people’s wellbeing and enhance the culture within organizations of vetmed. She has spent nearly 20 years in the veterinary industry as a hospital leader and technician. She shares her personal story of overcoming wellbeing struggles along with key teachings in managing both personal and professional development.
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