How to Balance Your Relationship and Career?
Trying to get everything in order in your life between your romantic relationship and your career is never easy, particularly if you have an overactive amygdala. You might be stressing about things that aren't even a problem to begin with! However, take note of the following tips on how to find the perfect balance between your career and your relationship.
1. Set Work Boundaries
Work should be a thing that you do, not something that wholly defines you as a person. If you discover that your work is flooding into other areas of your life, then you might need to set up more strict boundaries between your work and personal life. It is healthy to admit that you have limits, and to be transparent with your work with what does and doesn't make you feel comfortable. Let your work know what lines you're not willing to cross! Simply drawing those lines for them is not a bad thing. In fact, it is a sign of maturity that you are making sure you are only taking on responsibilities that you can truly handle at the time. Make those boundaries very clear to everyone, and make sure they are not crossed.
2. Make Time for Each Other
No matter how stressful life is or how much you feel like you "need" to work at any given time, it is important to take a step back and make time for each other as well. You will never get to the point where you are enjoying and appreciating your partner in a healthy way unless you make sure you make time for them. If they are someone special, who deserves your love and attention - then the best way to do that is to create times in your day when you are totally focused on them.
You should always try to create spaces in your day completely separate from work where you can put all your focus on each other. The more distracted you are, the less that you get to focus on the person that is directly in front of you. Make sure you are actually dedicated to enjoying your time with them, and try to get out of your own head when it comes to making time for your partner.
3. Don't go to Bed Angry
It’s an old piece of advice for couples, but a very useful one! You shouldn't go to bed angry. The problem with going to bed mad at each other is that it doesn't really resolve anything. You are just putting yourself in a worse position and making life harder for yourself. Instead, you should try to resolve your issues before calling it a day.
Not only does this make it easier for you to truly come to a mutual resolution of your issues, but you can also work on your negotiation skills and your ability to figure out what kind of things need to be said and done to keep the peace.
4. Love the Person, Not Their Title
Your partner should not be defined to you by what they do for work. They ought to be defined to you by who they are as a person. This means if you are too focused on what your partner does for work instead of who they are as a person, then you are missing the point. You need to adjust your priorities and start putting more value on the individual who is sitting next to you on the couch.
The problem with loving a title is that job changes can happen at any time. Your partner might lose interest in the work that they are doing now, or they might even suffer a job loss at some time. If you are too caught up in what they do for work, you might miss out on the opportunity to simply love them for being the human being that they are.
Again, jobs come and go, but the true value of a person stays forever. If you can't love your partner for who they are as a person, then you are missing out on a major opportunity to get to know and love someone special.
5. Share Household Duties
It is best when both partners can divide up household duties in a way that allows both to contribute to the home. Stacking too much on one partner or the other is a surefire way to build resentment in that person. You certainly don't want to do that. Instead, you should focus on working with the strengths of each individual to make sure you are able to reach a consensus about who can handle which tasks and how that labor will be divided up.
Those who work diligently at this will often discover that they have created something that can work for both parties. No more resentment, and a greater sense of shared responsibility are the way to go with things like this!
Speak with your partner about what their expectations are of you, and try to reach a mutual understanding with each other about how to break chores up into something more manageable.