How do we navigate this in the workplace while maintaining the elusive “work-love balance” - where one is in a flourishing relationship and is killing it at work?
Humans are emotional beings and that’s just how we are wired. We may be professional and very focused on work but we can’t ignore that we have hearts and they have feelings.
So how do we navigate this in the workplace while maintaining the elusive “work-love balance” - where one is in a flourishing relationship and is killing it at work?
1. Acknowledge your feelings
Denying you have feelings is in itself dangerous because it can pose a set of problems; you need to acknowledge your feelings. They make you human. Self-awareness and self-acknowledgement reveal what is lodged inside and puts you in a better place to channel your feelings the right way.
2. Celebrate them
Having feelings of love is not a taboo. It is part of growth and the human experience. So celebrate that you have them and if you have someone you love, celebrate them too. It facilitates good mental health and wholeness as you work.
3. Read and follow the policy guidelines
In the pursuit towards a positive work-love balance you need to read the rules and the policy that guides your workplace relationships. Every company is different. Therefore they have completely different guidelines. Ensure that you meticulously acquaint yourself with all of them and follow them.
4. Compartmentalization is key
Emotional control and compartmentalization are very vital when it comes to the workplace. At work you need to be rational and love is more irrational. You need to acknowledge the difference in both and discipline yourself to apply them at the right time and at the right place. In essence be professional at work and when out of work ease up.
5. Take mental health seriously
Only a sane person will be able to master work-love balance. If your mental health is in question, it will only be a matter of time before instability implodes on you. When it does, the negative impact will be completely unprecedented and you may lose both your job and your loved one. It is therefore paramount that you keep your mental health in check. If you have continuous rough days and have no channel to vent, see a psychiatrist.
Better yet ensure that you take time to cool off. Do exciting things such as music, sports, dance and so much more. This will just eliminate the pressure and spur your recharge. See examples of mental health questions to ask yourself.
6. Take up mentorship
There are people who have worked for a long time and still kept a successful love life. Identify them and ask them to mentor you. Get to know how they were so successful and what hurdles they encountered on their journey to a successful work-love balance. Let them explain to you the mistakes they made and how to learn from them.
This will be a major eye-opener for you and a tool to help you foresee the challenges ahead for you to mitigate them successfully.
Happy Valentines!
