Naturally, there will be times when you’re needed more at work — it might be a particularly busy time of year for the business, or perhaps there’s a huge opportunity coming up that your team needs your help preparing for.
Knowing about these busy periods and being able to prepare yourself for them isn’t a bad thing. But when you begin to feel as though your work is taking over your life, it’s important to be able to reflect on how this might affect your life outside of work.
Some of the consequences of having a poor work/life balance include:
- Fatigue
If you’re living with arthritis, fatigue (both mentally and physically) can already be an issue. And when you start increasing your working hours, you can only expect your fatigue to worsen.
Being fatigued can have a huge impact on your life inside and outside of work. When you’re tired, you’re likely to be less productive at work, and your ability to think clearly can also be affected.
In work, this could have an impact on your professional reputation, or lead to costly (and potentially dangerous) mistakes.
Outside of work, fatigue (and the additional stress it might cause) can present itself as:
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- Low mood
- Irritability
- Low motivation
That’s why it’s key to make sure you can listen to your body and know when it’s time to take a step back. We’ll explore this solution in more detail in the next section.
- Poor health
There has been research that demonstrates a link between stress and poor health.
When we’re stressed, it can have adverse effects on the immune system, making it easier to pick up bugs and viruses, and worsening the symptoms you experience from any medical condition.
- Missing out on social events and time with family
Being tied to your work can be a challenge if you’re also trying to maintain your social life and spend time with friends and family.
If you’re working longer days, or more days throughout the week, you’re likely to miss out on family events and celebrations with friends — either because you’re at work, or you’re too fatigued from working so much to attend.
This can make it difficult to maintain and nurture relationships with those closest to you. Missing out on events and social gatherings can also impact your mental health, causing you to feel left out and withdrawn from your social group.
- Increased expectations
It’s the age-old issue — if you keep saying yes, they’ll keep asking! If you regularly work extra hours or extra shifts, the expectation will be that you’ll continue to do so. Over time, it can become increasingly difficult to start saying no.
There’s also a chance that your employer will see it as an opportunity to give you more responsibility at work. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as you’ll be progressing in your career, but a step up like this often comes with added stress, which can be difficult to manage alongside your condition.
