Not Tonight Honey, I Have a … Poor Excuse
By Drs. Chuck And Jo-Ann Bird. Posted on .
When we look around, we’re noticing something odd. People aren’t happy.
Not everyone, at least. A recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management made it clear that Americans are having problems balancing their home life and their work life. In our profession, we refer to that experience as the “work/life balance” — and according to the statistics, it’s looking like an uneven teeter-totter. The study revealed:
◦Among the 89 percent of Americans who say work/life balance is a problem, 54 percent called it a “significant” problem.
◦57 percent of workers think that their employer is doing enough to address work/life balance issues; 43 percent
do not.
◦51 percent of workers say their work/life balance has not changed because of the recession.
◦38 percent of workers say their work/life balance has worsened because of the recession.
◦37 percent of those who do not have adequate balance say time with family is the first thing that suffers;
personal time spent reading or relaxing followed, at 22 percent.
•44 percent of men ages 34-54 say they do not have adequate work/life balance.
More from YourTango: Not Happy With Your Relationship?
So, if you’re wondering why you’re feeling stressed out, you’re not alone. But there is a way to combat it, if you’re willing to try. From our experience with our clients, here is a list of the top relationship excuses, with some ways to eliminate them from your life:
- We don’t have enough time — We hear this far too often. We act and behave based on our values, thus what they are really saying is, “We are choosing to make other things (kids, work, etc.) a priority, and not our relationship with our partner.” We recommend sitting down together with a piece of paper and a pen and taking a look at your monthly schedule. That means all the soccer practices, poker nights, work trips — everything. I think most people will find when they do this that there are items here and there that can be eliminated in favor of some time together.
- We are too tired — This is definitely related with the above excuse, but a little more complex. Today, people are so busy with everything else, they are not slowing down long enough to recharge their own batteries, so to speak. As you look at your schedule, don’t look just at how many things you have to do, but how draining of your energy some of them can be. More than that, if you find a way to ensure you’re both getting between 7 and 8 hours of sleep every night, you’ll be able to better handle everything you have on the plate.
