Finding balance in work and life

NEW YORK – The moment came suddenly when I realized I needed to get serious about work-life balance. I was writing a news story during the pandemic when my heart started pounding.

I took a quick, deep breath and held it, hoping to calm the arrhythmia. It was a technique I learned to relieve palpitations caused by my rare congenital heart defect. But this time it was different. The room went dark. I couldn’t see. Then, just as quickly, my vision returned.

In the days that followed, I learned that the defibrillator needed to be surgically implanted as soon as possible. My cardiologist told me: It’s time to reduce stress. This was a prescription that I, like many Americans, did not know how to fill, especially as a parent of a young child.

But the subsequent health scare and cancer diagnosis meant I had to try. Now, as I continue this journey, I am starting a series called “Working Well.” As I explore ways to improve my own well-being at work, I will share expert insights and tips with readers hoping to do the same.

We’ve been through a lot in the past few years: A global pandemic has claimed the lives of loved ones and forced parents to juggle full-time jobs without child care. Elections and wars have divided families and workplaces. It’s no surprise that workers feel burned out.

But with these challenges came the sense that we could choose to build our professional lives in a different, healthier way. Companies have tried hybrid working models. Younger generations have talked more proactively about mental health. Employers looking to keep their employees on the job have introduced in-house yoga and stress-reduction programs.

In the coming months, we plan to interview doctors, therapists, managers, and coaches about the changes they recommend or make to improve employees’ lives.

After getting my defibrillator, I took steps to find that elusive work-life balance. I tried a four-day work week. This has helped me find time to exercise, cook healthy meals, and pause occasionally.

Just as I was starting to rejuvenate, a routine mammogram revealed breast cancer. He was going to have surgery. I was given frightening information and was clearly told procedures that would make me feel like a piece of meat. Months of chemotherapy would be required. Thirty rounds of radiation. My heart condition complicated every treatment plan.

With the life-threatening diagnosis came lessons in recovery. For the first time in my life, I had to slow down enough to listen to my body. When I was tired in the afternoon, I took a nap instead of drinking chocolate or coffee. I scheduled my chemotherapy appointments so that my son would be well enough to walk to the bus stop on his first day of kindergarten, celebrate his birthday, and walk from house to house on Halloween.

My oncologist encouraged me to exercise through chemotherapy. I swam laps in the town’s pool under the green leaves of the oak trees. I tried yin yoga. I took walks. I rested when I felt dizzy. When I felt stronger, I got on my stationary bike and did sit-ups.

I have learned that unlike my heart condition, there are many support networks available for this disease. Social workers contacted me at every opportunity.

At one point I had three therapists. Someone taught me a calming technique that I use when going for a PET scan. In the car, as I slowly made my way through heavy traffic while my husband drove, my head began to spin and my fingers began to tingle as I imagined the radiologist finding inoperable tumors all over my body. I remembered the therapist’s advice: Name five things you can see. Four things you might hear. Three things you can feel. Two things you can smell. Something you can taste. I tried. The panic has subsided.

My body has healed enough to return to work. But I’ve changed. There was still brain fog and fatigue, the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. How would I perform? Could I protect my health and be successful in my career?

When I came back, I wanted to continue the healthy living habits that cancer gave me time to start after it threw me off the path that was my life. Writing stories that help others, including this series, is one way to do that.

In Working Well, I’ll share stories about inspiring workers who are overcoming challenges and effectively improving their health. I’ll cover topics from how to negotiate a new schedule to dealing with health issues in the workplace.

I want to hear your experiences too. Have you overcome a major obstacle at work? Have you acquired new habits? Have you found balance as a working parent or not? Share your workplace health stories and questions at [email protected]. Let’s be good at our job together.