Managing burdens

How heavy is this glass of water?....... The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends upon how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it the heavier it becomes.  And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest  before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. 
So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you are carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax, pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it. (Chesterman, Personal communication, 2006). p30 - from Hawkins, P and Shohet, R., Supervision in the caring professions. 


Managing personal energy rather than time  Tony Schwartz   The Energy Project,   Energy audit link

A vision for a balanced life:

If you were brought before a court and accused of poor work-life balance would there be sufficient evidence to convict you?  (courtesy of The 18 Challenges of Leadership, Waldock, T. & Shenaz, K-R (2004)