Beyond the Inbox: Boundaries for Life

As I peeled back the layers of my own struggle with the relentless digital world, I discovered a treasure trove of strategies for reclaiming peace of mind. 

My journey through the tangled web of work emails and social media notifications led to profound realizations about the necessity of digital boundaries. 

This episode is a deep dive into the art of achieving a work-life balance that not only safeguards your mental health but also enhances your overall well-being. 

I open up about the life-altering benefits of setting strict work boundaries, creating a dedicated workspace, and the rejuvenating power of digital detoxes. Through my personal narrative, I invite you to challenge yourself with a week-long technology cleanse, and we explore the lesser-known effects of electromagnetic frequencies on our mental state.

Shifting gears, we underscore the critical role self-care plays in our work performance. It's a candid conversation about why taking regular breaks and prioritizing sleep is not indulgent but essential for sparking creativity and driving efficiency. 

The chapter beckons a collective sigh of relief as we recognize a shifting corporate climate that's increasingly supportive of flexible work arrangements and understands the value of disconnecting after hours. 

So, whether you're a CEO, a startup founder, or even just an average 9 to 5 employee,  join me in celebrating this new era where personal wellness walks hand-in-hand with professional productivity, and where the simple joys of life aren't lost in the hustle.

Chapters

• 0:07 Maintaining Work-Life Balance for Mental Health
• 7:23 The Benefits of Self-Care in Work

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:07

Hey everyone and welcome back to OHM podcast. Today we're going to dive into a topic that's becoming increasingly relevant to our connected world. You know, blurring the lines between work and life, because, let's face it, hands up, if you've ever had, you know, checked work emails while on vacation or snuck in, you know. Just one more thing before text. You know, before bed, yes, yeah, I thought so. So we've all been there, right. But what happens when that occasional check just turns into a quick state of on? You know, and that's what we're going to unpack today. On. You know, and that's what we're going to unpack today the mental health toll of work, life imbalance and how to reclaim your sanity and your and your free time. You know. So feeling constantly tethered to work can be incredibly draining and it can be hard to start the process of what I call digital detachment. Now I would like to add a little story about my struggle with digital attachment. As a game developer, you know, virtual assistant, content creator and designer, I ended up spending about 50 percent of my life in the digital universe, and I kind of still do. I would find myself more and more detached from reality and those that were around me, so eventually it took a toll on my health, with things like anxiety and stress, which directly affected my physical health, leading to carpal tunnel diabetes from spending a lot of time sitting. Now I may not have diabetes yet, but if I didn't change my lifestyle choices, my point is is that that's what it would have led to. So during my time on my pc I would get up and stretch, you know, do any kind of movement for five minutes, doing exercises for carpal tunnel for three, drinking some water and getting back to work. I would repeat this every 30 to 40 minutes until it became a habit. Now the best way to end a habit, a bad habit, is to replace it with a better one. Just like you know drug addicts, they replace one addiction with another, or even even any kind of addiction. You want to replace it with another one. That's better realistically not not any kind of addictions like that, but anyways, back to the topic. I'm still dealing with the effect of spending so much time on my pc. However, I can tell my health is slightly improving and I spend a little bit less time working, and hopefully this can help inspire others with a similar story to take action. Now, obviously, you can tell I took a break Mainly because I was focusing on my book Mind Matters. I mean, it's already published, so if you want to go check it out, it's on my website, marquistacoachcom. I'm also working on another one. It's a herbology one. I'm also working on a fictional story series Just published one of those two as well Shameful promotion. I just had to do it. Let's get back to it.

Speaker 1: 3:02

So this is what I call the cost of constant connectivity. So picture this you finally drag yourself out of bed after a long day, ready to unwind with a good book, right, but then, ping, a new email pops up and suddenly you're sucked back into the work mode. Sound familiar? This constant connectivity takes a toll. So think about it. Every notification, every email check is like a tiny mental interruption and it interrupts your relaxation time and makes it harder to truly switch off. Did you know? Studies show that even checking work emails during leisure time can increase your stress hormone cortisol by up to one third? That's a significant impact in your ability to de-stress and recharge. But don't fret, you know there's.

Speaker 1: 3:53

There's strategies for setting boundaries. These boundaries are important for mental health, very important. Now the good news is you have the power to set boundaries and the key to that is creating a clear distinction between work time and personal time. Just like, for example, if you're sleeping in a bed, right, are you going to study in that bed, or you or you want to just sleep in that bed, because if you try to study in that bed, you're going to feel a little bit lazy, like, hey, I don't feel like doing this work right now, so I'm just going to take a nap. You know what, in places where they eat, places where they sleep, because they're going to feel more distracted to do those things in that area that they chose to do or they normally habitually do. All right, just an example.

Speaker 1: 4:43

Now, first things first, designate a specific workspace, ideally somewhere where you can close the door and pack it all away at the end of the day. This creates a physical separation between work and relaxation. Now let's also establish an off work hours. Communicate these boundaries to your colleagues and stick to them. Turn off notifications, resist the urge to check emails after hours and give yourself permission to truly disconnect. And hey, you know, don't underestimate the power of a digital detox. This. I'll give you a little known fact A recent study found that taking a week-long break from technology can actually improve your cognitive function and creativity. So put down the phone, step away from the computer and rediscover the simple joys of being offline.

Speaker 1: 5:35

Now I want to give you a little challenge. All right, take a week. Just take a week. Stay off of Instagram, stay off of Twitter, whatever social media. Just take a break. I mean you'll survive for a week. Just detox yourself for a bit. Use a computer screen or phone screen for like five minutes max at the end of the day and then, after that week, see how you feel. I mean, that's this is only something that you can. You can experience yourself. So truly try it and see how you feel.

Speaker 1: 6:10

Because, if you don't understand it from my other podcast episode and emf electric, magnetic, electric magnetic, electrical magnetic frequencies, emf, every device that emits them they affect you so much. They affect your energy. It's, they affect your um, your mental state in your mind, which is tied to your energy, and how you process things, how you relax, how you react to things, all that right, even your health. So now, that's not that bad. So by becoming more efficient during work hours, you can free up that. You know precious personal time, that you know precious personal time. Now here's, here's. Here's something else Okay the power of saying no and prioritizing self care.

Speaker 1: 7:04

So let's talk about another crucial element, which is learning to say no. It's okay to decline additional work or request that fall outside your designated hours Because, again, that's boundaries. That's that's what you need. It's really good. Your mental health matters Okay, and being assertive and setting boundaries with your colleagues and employers shows the value that you value your own, your own time.

Speaker 1: 7:23

And guess what? Prioritizing self-care actually benefits your work performance. A well-rested, relaxed mind is a productive mind. Okay, so you're going to become a better asset. So did you know that employees who take regular breaks in prioritized sleep are demonstrably more creative and efficient? So you know, taking care of yourself isn't selfish, it's essential. Now we cannot forget the role employers play in work-life balance. The good news is there's a growing awareness of this issue in companies. More and more companies are offering flexible work arrangements, encouraging breaks and promoting a culture of disconnection after work hours, and these are all positive steps. So that's it for this episode. Thank you for listening so much. For anybody who really supports me, who listens to my podcast every single one, I appreciate you. Yeah, I'm gonna do my best to keep bringing value, and I'll see you on the next one, deuces.