EXCLUSIVE- Setting Boundaries At Work: 8 Ways To Create Work-Life Balance And Protect Your Mental Health

Setting boundaries is the process of creating and upholding restrictions and rules in one's interactions, relationships, and daily activities.

8 Ways To Create Work-Life Balance And Protect Your Mental Health/ Image source: freepik (representational only)

Boundaries at work are crucial because they support a good balance between work and life. They can lessen the possibility of suffering from work-related sadness, anxiety, and burnout. When you take care of yourself and enforce your limits, boundaries may also make the workplace lot more pleasant.

In conversation with Zee English, Ms Gayatri Kasturi, Counselling Psychologist at Lissun shares the value of boundaries in managing workload and protecting mental health.

Gayatri says, "Maintaining a healthy work-life balance has become more difficult than ever in today's fast-paced and connected society. The expansion of technology and remote work choices has blurred the lines between professional and personal life, frequently resulting in overwork and damaged mental health."

Setting physical and digital boundaries has evolved as a critical method for efficiently managing workloads and protecting mental well-being.

Establishing psychological boundaries—critical demarcations that separate work commitments from personal life—has emerged as a powerful method for effectively managing workloads and protecting mental health.

Ways To Create Boundaries At Work

Setting boundaries ensures that work obligations do not interfere with personal time. This separation of work and personal life is critical for achieving a healthy work-life balance, avoiding burnout, and allowing individuals to recharge and participate in activities that promote well-being.

Establishing clear physical boundaries between work and personal environments is a vital component of living a balanced life, especially in today's work-from-home lifestyle. 

Having a designated workstation not only improves focus and productivity, but it also creates a distinct separation between "work mode" and "personal mode." 

Individuals can mentally disengage from professional responsibilities once they leave a specialised work place, preventing job-related stress from invading their personal life.

Boundaries protect against the negative effects of overwork and prolonged stress. Individuals can protect their mental health, reduce anxiety and despair, and lessen the risk of burnout by setting clear limits on work-related activity.

Boundaries reduce the cognitive load associated with continually deciding when to engage in job matters. Individuals can save mental energy and cognitive resources for more vital tasks by establishing predetermined norms for work-related activities.

Clear boundaries promote healthy communication among employees and managers. When everyone recognises and respects one another's boundaries, it produces a productive and respectful work atmosphere, which reduces misunderstandings and confrontations.

Boundaries assist people in managing their tasks in a sustainable manner. Individuals can avoid taking on excessive tasks that might lead to stress and burnout by having reasonable expectations for what can be accomplished within a particular time frame.

Setting and adhering to psychological boundaries boosts self-efficacy by demonstrating agency in asserting one's demands and priorities. This empowerment promotes a sense of control over work demands, which reduces emotions of feeling powerless and improves general well-being.

Maintaining effective boundaries is directly related to psychological resilience, or the ability to adjust to hardship. Individuals' resilience is enhanced when they develop the ability to manage stressors and avoid work-related demands from penetrating personal spheres. Individuals develop the psychological resilience required to navigate the intense demands of current work situations by skillfully defining and defending these boundaries.

Boundaries are important in protecting mental health because they prevent the blurring of professional and personal duties. Anxiety, depression and other mental health concerns can emerge from overexertion and persistent stress caused by an inability to detach. 

Setting work hours limitations, setting realistic expectations, and expressing boundaries with coworkers and supervisors can all contribute to a healthy work environment. This not only benefits the person but also develops a work-life balance culture within the organisation. 

Individuals can attain improved work-life balance by having clear physical and digital boundaries and good communication and time management. Individuals and organisations can build healthier, more productive, and happy work lives by recognising the benefits of limits.