Occupational balance is about having the right mix of daily activities that suit your life. Occupational therapists recognise this balance as key to improving wellbeing and overall quality of life. When work takes over and there’s little time for rest or enjoyment, it can lead to stress, burnout and poor health.
Occupational balance is achieved when an individual experiences the right number of occupations and the right variation between those occupations.
Occupational therapists advocate that better wellbeing and quality of life is experienced when there is occupational balance. Too much work and not enough time to engage in meaningful leisure activities and interests creates an imbalance, which may result in ill health. People with stress-related disorders or depression often experience occupational imbalance.
Occupational therapists work with people to:
Studies show that taking breaks from demanding activities and engaging in enjoyable ones are essential to managing everyday stressors (Hakansson & Sonn, 2006; Sonnentag & Zijlstra, 2006; Van Hooff, 2007).
A 2010 qualitative study in a Swedish vocational rehabilitation clinic explored how people with stress-related disorders regain occupational balance in their everyday life.
Participants often reported focusing almost solely on work and on meeting the needs of others, while neglecting occupations that contributed to their own wellbeing and recovery (Eriksson et al., 2010).
The rehabilitation programme helped participants re-evaluate their occupations. By engaging in activities such as gardening during rehabilitation, individuals began to appreciate the value of these occupations, which empowered them to implement meaningful changes after rehabilitation. A key point here is 'doing' - where the participants' actual engagement in an activity enabled them to appreciate the benefits, which in turn motivated them to reintroduce enjoyable occupations into their lives.
Occupational balance means having time for what you want to do, balanced with what you need to do for health and emotional wellbeing.
Signs of occupational imbalance include:
Set at least one achievable occupational goal, such as:
Share your goals with someone who can support and encourage you. Explain why you’re setting these goals and discuss how they can help you achieve them.
After engaging in your chosen activity, reflect on:
Consider keeping an occupation diary to capture moments and notice benefits.
Create a new pie chart or list:
You can also evaluate your balance daily, especially on workdays.
The pages in this section were written by occupational therapy expert Professor Nicola Spalding - view Nicola's biography.
