Since childhood, my days have revolved around work. Evenings have been spent hunched over tasks until exhaustion. Waking thoughts have been consumed by the next project.
Being a journalist, a “passion job,” probably made it worse. News is always lurking. I vividly recall a dinner party years ago when an interesting comment by someone sparked the journalist in me, and my then partner, Damien, gently reminded me. “Stop. It’s not a story. Just enjoy the evening” he said.
Occasional self-reflection throughout my life has revealed the folly of my ways. After a mid-life crisis and a rejuvenating travel break in 2008, I vowed to take proper lunch breaks and disconnect after work. Yet, I soon found myself back on the workaholic treadmill.
Last year’s health scare, likely fueled by my workaholic tendencies (eating, drinking, and working), forced a hard stop in my life.
As I begun my recovery early mornings in hospital were spent weak and reliant on others, a stark contrast to my usual frenetic pace. I was entranced by the rising of the morning star out my hospital window.
Returning to work, part-time at first, I resolved to never revisit that state of work exhaustion. But lately, with a near-full-time schedule, the familiar pre-sleep and morning work anxieties have crept back.
This triggered introspection. I yearned to recapture the simple joys of my days in hospital, or my pre-school days – listening to country music with my dad over breakfast. Or the periods in my adult life where mornings began with calming walks or quiet relaxation before work.
Last year, I experimented with a new morning routine – music instead of the news. The difference was remarkable. In recent weeks, I’ve extended this practice, savoring the sound of the nearby birdsongs and music instead of the immediate pressure of work brought about the news. It feels incredibly good.
I acknowledge the privilege of my position – a middle-class government job that allows for breaks and a work-life balance, a luxury many lack. For example, today’s midday half-hour nap that was needed to recover from physical exertion was easy for me to take.
I also aknowledge the later life privileges this has brought me. By working so hard in my early years, I have a good income, superannuation etc, albeit at some cost.
And as I approach retirement, albeit a few years away, I’ve finally grasped (perhaps belatedly) the importance of work-life balance. It’s a concept I now fully embrace.