A jam-packed schedule is a quick way to get burned out on being an RA. Between school, your social life, your residents and family and friends, it's easy to feel like you're burning the candle at both ends. A minor shift in your focus can be just the thing you need to feel like you're living life to the fullest.
Download and print out RA Magazine's Wheel of Life, where each wedge represents a different area of your life. Grab a friend and try out this fun exercise for improving your work/life balance.
Instructions
1. Starting with Sleep, circle the face that most accurately reflects how you feel about that part of your life.
2. Be sure to go all the way around the circle and assign a face to each part of the wheel. Now, connect the faces.
3. Take a look at your wheel. It's probably a little uneven, but that's the point. The purpose is to note which areas of your life you want to work on. When our lives are out of balance, it's easy to think that everything is out of whack, when really it could be just a couple of areas that need work.
4. Have a friend or campus counselor ask you the following questions about your wheel:
- What areas do you want to work on?
- What is the best possible outcome from working on this?
- Why is this something you want to work on?
- What do you need to be able to work on this?
- What's the first step you can take?
5. Check your progress anytime and reassess how you're doing. When your main area of focus stabilizes, turn your attention to another one.
Learn more about life balance on:
www.webmd.com/balance/guide/5-strategies-for-life-balance
www.mayoclinic.com/health/work-life-balance/WL00056
http://www.dol.govt.nz/er/bestpractice/worklife/
Programming idea: Share this with your residents! Download and print out RA Magazine's Wheel of Life
A jam-packed schedule is a quick way to get burned out on being an RA. Between school, your social life, your residents and family and friends, it's easy to feel like you're burning the candle at both ends. A minor shift in your focus can be just the thing you need to feel like you're living life to the fullest.
Download and print out RA Magazine's Wheel of Life, where each wedge represents a different area of your life. Grab a friend and try out this fun exercise for improving your work/life balance.
Instructions
1. Starting with Sleep, circle the face that most accurately reflects how you feel about that part of your life.
2. Be sure to go all the way around the circle and assign a face to each part of the wheel. Now, connect the faces.
3. Take a look at your wheel. It's probably a little uneven, but that's the point. The purpose is to note which areas of your life you want to work on. When our lives are out of balance, it's easy to think that everything is out of whack, when really it could be just a couple of areas that need work.
4. Have a friend or campus counselor ask you the following questions about your wheel:
- What areas do you want to work on?
- What is the best possible outcome from working on this?
- Why is this something you want to work on?
- What do you need to be able to work on this?
- What's the first step you can take?
5. Check your progress anytime and reassess how you're doing. When your main area of focus stabilizes, turn your attention to another one.
Learn more about life balance on:
www.webmd.com/balance/guide/5-strategies-for-life-balance
www.mayoclinic.com/health/work-life-balance/WL00056
http://www.dol.govt.nz/er/bestpractice/worklife/
Programming idea: Share this with your residents! Download and print out RA Magazine's Wheel of Life