7 Tips to Maintain a Work-Life Balance During a Relationship

With your busy lifestyle, putting the relationship with your partner first could be challenging. Today, many people feel like they are always “on,” and thus aren’t able to devote enough attention to their personal and romantic relationships. In fact, it is common for people to suffer from workplace stress and then carry that stress home with them into their relationships.

Research suggests that checking your workplace stress at the door is one of the best ways to more fully engage with your partner at home. However, you may need a few more tips to help restore the balance between your work life and the relationship with your partner. So, try these seven ways to boost romance at home, even if you have workplace stress:  

1. Put Them First. When it comes to your priorities, your partner should be #1. If they don’t feel that way, it could cause relationship problems. Sometimes people can get caught up with the pace of their lifestyle or engulfed in workplace stress and bring it all home. Then, it can have a detrimental effect on the romantic relationship because their partner feels second to other priorities. Long hours in the workplace, at-home stress, to-do lists, chores, children and other tasks can feel like they MUST get done but remember to make your partner feel like #1. It can make a big difference in your balance at home.
2. Set a Limit. Oftentimes, your partner can upset the peaceful balance at home in your relationship if they feel overwhelmed. For this reason, it is a good idea to remind them, as well as yourself to clearly communicate when a limit has been reached. This may be for your patience, anger, suspicion or any other emotion you are feeling. Making it clear to your partner when you have reached a limit is the best way to avoid arguments or fighting due to miscommunication of personal limitations.
3. Money Talks. It is a fact that money problems are harmful to a happy couple. However, you may not want to talk about money with your partner. This is an important topic to discuss, as most arguments tend to have something to do with money, over time. So don’t avoid talking about your finances in the relationship. Resolve them whenever possible.
4. Make the Time. When you live a busy life and have a stressful workplace it may not seem like you have time to spend with your partner. But you do! You can make time to talk, relax and even pamper your partner in just one hour per week. So, regardless of the schedule you made for yourself, carve out that time for the one you love.
5. Make Boundaries. Oftentimes work/life balance can fall apart when your partner cannot understand their boundaries. The workplace, for many people in a relationship, is their own personal space. And whether it’s your time in the office, what you worked on, whom you were working with or what your career opportunities include, your partner may think differently about them. Setting boundaries about your workplace with your partner can help keep them from bleeding into your treasured “me” time at work.
6. Get Over Your Anger. Simply put, if you are consistently angry with your partner or remain hostile for extended periods of time, it could be something more serious. Anger is one thing. But chronic anger, rage or holding grudges can really hurt you. That’s right — you! So, take it easy on yourself and let go of your anger. Getting over it is the best way to reduce your relationship stress and restore work/life balance.
7. Love. This is the simplest thing, but it works. When in doubt … just love your partner. After all, that’s why you are with them in the first place. For the health and happiness of your life and the life of your partner just love them unconditionally and support them. Life happens, but today compatibility is harder to find. So, just love your partner for who they are and cherish what you have if you feel frustrated, angry or out of balance in the relationship.

Talk to a Counselor

Balancing workplace stress, the happiness of your partner and the needs of your family can be difficult. Sometimes it can feel like you can’t keep everything going without one piece falling down. With so many responsibilities in life including workplace demands, children, household chores and personal commitments your spouse may start to feel abandoned. For this reason and others they could be acting out or you may simply feel distanced from them.

Talking to a trained couples counselor can help. Known to boost communication and increase the ability of couples to balance workplace stress at home, counseling sessions may be the key to recovering the health of your relationship.

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/7-tips-to-maintain-a-work-life-balance-during-a-relationship/