Restoring Work-Life Balance: Practical Steps to Harmony
In this article you will learn how to restore work-life balance using clear, step-by-step exercises. We draw on three approaches: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), OGW, and systems thinking, complemented by practical tools such as a Values Compass, timeline reflection, and a balance diary. The focus is on strengthening the brain’s executive control—especially the prefrontal cortex—and on effective stress regulation.
Values as a Compass for Balance
Balance emerges when choices align with what truly matters to you. ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) helps you direct attention to what really matters and give feelings space, so you don’t fall into reactive patterns. OGW provides a practical method to translate desired outcomes into feasible actions. By viewing your life as a system—work, home, health, and relationships—you learn where your energy comes from and where you can create room for change. The prefrontal cortex, a central brain region for planning and emotion regulation, benefits from this process: once your values are clear and you take small, targeted steps, you can steer your thoughts and emotions more effectively. Use the Values Compass to discover your core values and translate those values into daily actions that fit you well.
ACT and OGW: Focused on Change
In this approach, ACT helps you avoid avoiding difficult feelings while still acting according to what you value. OGW is a practical method that helps translate those values into concrete, feasible steps: what can you do today, this week, and next week to move closer to your desired balance? Together they give direction to your decisions and support taking small, sustainable steps rather than overwhelming changes. Keep it simple: start with a short list of three actions aligned with your Values Compass and carry them out step by step. By achieving quick successes, you strengthen your brain’s capacity to stay focused and calm under pressure, contributing to better stress regulation.
Systems Thinking: Seeing How Everything Connects
Systems thinking helps you look beyond individual events. It helps you recognize patterns in which workload, caregiving responsibilities, and leisure influence one another. Ask yourself: which part of my life sets the tone? Which relationships create extra tension, and which actions can relieve the interlinked strains? With this broad lens you can make choices that work not only today but also in the longer term. Use the Values Compass to set priorities and combine this with timeline reflection to uncover patterns over time. This way you can distribute time and attention more effectively and prevent a one-dimensional approach from throwing your system off balance.
Practical Steps and Daily Exercises for PFC Integration and Stress Regulation
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a crucial role in planning, attention, and emotion regulation. You can strengthen this brain region through consistent, simple habits: adequate sleep, regular physical activity, and breathing exercises. Use the Values Compass to choose daily actions aligned with what’s truly important. Regularly do timeline reflection: what happened that day and which choices contributed to your energy level? Also keep a balance diary recording the share of work, private life, relaxation, and rest. This makes patterns visible and helps you adjust in time. With this approach you gain greater control over stress and keep your work-life balance healthy in the long term, because both cognitive control and emotional regulation are strengthened.
Lees ook: Werkstress herkennen en verminderen of Assertiviteit trainen in de praktijk.