Work-Life Balance
In the hustle-bustle of today's career-driven lifestyle, people often find that the line where work ends and life starts is a blur to them. This is where the Work-life balance steps in. It is not an achievement but a way of life. Human needs follow a hierarchy, which in the absence of a work-life balance, is found broken, and what entails is a string of unhealthy emotions, extreme exhaustion, and a sense of lack of control over life. A proper way to fall into the work-life cycle is to pause and retrospect while reprioritizing. What individuals majorly fail to realize is that health has been categorized way up above in the human-need hierarchy pyramid, and while they often prioritize their aesthetic needs and the superficial aspects of their life in the process of introspection, the physical, psychological, and emotional health is often forgotten. This leads them furthermore into the state of wear and tear and ultimately leads them to burnout. Therefore in the process of balancing work and life, health assumes the priority position.
Work-Life Synergy
Synergy comes from the Attic Greek word synergia which means "working together". It is an interaction or cooperation giving rise to a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts. Work-Life synergy thus becomes the relationship between work and personal life (which includes our relationship with the self and others). But the masses have been toying with the idea of gaining more from the synergy of work and life for a long time now.
The concept that lies with the folks is that focusing on work or life alone is far more likely to be troublesome, while the balance between both of them could bring about a sense of control and order, but what's still not common news is the fact that once synergized, your work and life can become one enormous force.
Work-Life Synergy helps you bring out the best of both worlds and attain peace, poise, and serenity. The question that arises now is how to attain this Synergy?
The answer lies within mindful and rich-in-health living. A healthy mind and body are home to a productivity-endowed life, and productive habits, in turn, help one make the most of his work, career, and finances.
Kash Amini, the CEO, and founder of Maslife has made it easier to walk down this synergic path.
With the gift of Maslife, Amini has presented the people with an opportunity to walk with both work and wellbeing hand-in-hand. Maslife is the world's first one-stop finance and wellbeing platform to aid the hardships that people face in making an informed decision and leading a positive lifestyle. With an AI to help individuals' goals reach their full potential, it's a super-app built on the principle that work-life synergy is the ultimate key to life.
Maslife handles your work and finance-related perils while simultaneously helping you achieve a serene headspace, thus helping you get more, both from your work and your psychological and personal life, which when left unmanaged, can drive mankind to his breaking point.
Amini is no stranger to the hardships of life. He sought redemption in self-reflection because due to over-exertion and an absence of work-life balance, Amini had reached his threshold and was taken down by a state of total burnout. Conquering all these hardships, in turn, expedited his walk down the path of mindfulness and self-improvement and he tapped into an unlimited reservoir of synergy. Other than the boon to the masses-Maslife, Amini gives us tips on how to tap into our own, untouched synergy reservoir. He says
● The break of the dawn brings along a sense of serenity and stillness that lets you connect with yourself and with the higher self. Wake up thirty minutes before your usual wake-up time and experience the richness that the morning has to offer.
● Find a quiet place in the house, by a window or a cozy corner, and just let your mind be still. People do find this hard to start with, but a good way to begin is to focus on your breathing and not dwelling on your thoughts.
● Gratitude is a key part of meditation. It takes you the long way not just during meditation but also in life.
● Set boundaries, both for work and life. Meditation will lend you a clear mind to see where those boundaries are being overstepped.
● Strive to be the best version of yourself. With clear thoughts come happier thoughts which help in leading to a happier you.
● Consider starting with a ten-minute guided meditation session accompanied with 30 minute of exercise. When you are in a more mindful place your practice improves, and you might want to look at longer guided times.
Meditation – Is it just hype?
Meditation is defined as "A set of techniques that are intended to encourage a heightened state of awareness and focused attention".
It is a mind and body practice with origins dating back to several centuries in many cultures and religious practices. There are several types of meditation including Zen meditation, Mantra, transcendental, walking, Metta, and Vipassana. In the recent years, there has been more focus on meditation with the emerging data proving its effectiveness in the treatment of many chronic conditions and aiding in the work-life balance.
Here are some of the benefits with science-based evidence as reviewed on the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health website.
Meditation is generally considered to be safe for healthy people.
1. A 2014 review of the literature found that mindfulness meditation programs had moderate evidence of improved anxiety, depression, and pain, and low evidence of improved stress/distress and mental health-related quality of life.
2. It is well recognized that chronic stress promotes an increased inflammatory load, chronic low-grade inflammation, and hypercortisolemia all of which are associated with increased chronic illness (Acabchuk, 2017) Meditation is the best method to decrease this stress load.
3. Meditation has been found to show changes in the brain activity (Neuroplasticity) as noted in the functional MRI scans. Chronic meditators showed intense activity in areas of the brain associated with happiness and lighted up emotionally positive circuits associated with empathy, hence improving their relations in the professional environment.
The only caution is that it could worsen symptoms in people with certain psychiatric problems like anxiety and depression. Always speak with your health care provider if you have any concerns or if any treatment is suitable for you and it should not replace conventional care.
So, it is not a hype and is being backed by scientific studies and practical experiences of practitioners like Kash Amini which prove that a regular practice is beneficial for all of us. Now, let's go and find that quiet spot.
