Balancing your work and life

As an intuitive reader, I can't count how many people I've called out for not taking time for self-love and putting too much focus on their jobs instead of their families and hobbies. When your life is all about work, you tend to get burned out over time. Some people burn out quicker than others, but it happens sooner or later if you don't work on balancing life and work (note: work is not life).

So, what does burnout do to you? There are all sorts of negative impacts of this stress response to doing too much and not taking enough time for yourself.

Your health pays a price

You don't have to be a Capricorn to be a workaholic. A lot of us work multiple jobs and side hustles just to get by. The prices are going up on rent, homes, groceries, clothing ... and yet our income stays the same. So, we work more to make up for it. But, that drains our energy, and our happiness. In fact, stress not only affects us mentally but also physically.

Most of us notice we're stressed when we're irritable or our anxiety kicks into high gear. But, that stress is doing more. It's messing up your immune system, so you're likely to get sick easier than if you weren't stressed and strained. It can cause insomnia -- and our bodies work to heal themselves while we sleep, so this increases your risk of illness even more.

Then, you also have the damage to your heart health. People who spend too much time lost in stress have a higher risk of heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Mentally, that lack of sleep from insomnia can make you start being more forgettable. You become even more irritable with less sleep and more stress, so you could be picking fights with people you love, coming off more angry at work and at home, and letting your mood swings get the best of you.

Battling the health and mental effects of taking on too much work

You took on too much. You have too many irons in the fire. It's time to take a little bit of time out for yourself. You need time to breathe. Aside from taking a day or two off each week, some other things that can benefit you and help you find a greater work-life balance include:

• Self-care time (head to the spa, soak in a hot tub, get a facial)
• Doctor visits (stay up on your healthcare, get your heart checked)
• Stress relief (whether you visit a breakroom or do yoga or meditation is up to you)
• Get outside (vitamin D is a mood lifter, and even if the sun isn't out, the fresh air will help)

Work-life balance and your relationships

Whether you're married, single, have children ... whatever ... there's likely someone in your life who is feeling the effects of your need to always be working. By finding balance, you can give more time to the people who matter in your life.

Too much focus on work has ruined relationships. If all you do is work, your kids may feel rejected by you ... your friends too!

The key is to find a way to give yourself, your people, and your job equal amounts of attention. Not sure how? Talk to those people. Find out what they need from you time-wise. Make a plan that works for everyone, including you.

Finally, here are some things to try to balance things out, whether you're working too much or having too much fun!

Stick to work at work: Nothing is more frustrating to your coworkers than listening to your personal stuff at work. You're at work to do work, so leave home at home. If you have something you want to discuss with a work friend, do it on your lunch break or make a plan to meet up for a drink after work instead of sullying the work atmosphere with your personal garbage.

Leave work at work: It's also important to do the opposite -- leave your work garbage at work. I mean this in a couple of ways. First, when you punch out, you're done working -- don't take assignments home with you to do in your free time -- that's what your work schedule is for. Second, only talk about your workday if someone at home asks -- don't unload your day on them just because you feel like it.

Schedule self-love: Without love for yourself, it's hard to love anything else. I am not saying you have to love yourself to love others, but you have to have some kind of love for yourself and some self-confidence, and that comes from caring for YOU. Take time for alone time -- we all need it sooner or later.

Schedule social time: If you have important people in your life, friends or family, make time for them. Even if you have to schedule your romantic time with your partner, do it. It's okay to not always be spontaneous if you don't really have time for spontaneity.