Work/life balance for men is not easy. We discussed that recently, where we described the four parts that a man feels responsibility for in their life. Those four areas were family, friends, work, and health.
Most men tend to focus on family and work first because we are providers by nature. The care of our health and the tending of friendships often fall by the wayside.
Why is it so hard for men to accept that their health and friendships do more for providing than we would like to think?
Taking Time
The role that men play in the workforce is often seen as critical to keeping things working as they should. There can be a reluctance to step away from that role because we look at our jobs as a responsibility. As men, a lot of our internal value is tied to our jobs. Frankly, there’s quite a lot of our external value tied to our jobs as well.
Perhaps the biggest fear for men taking time away from their jobs is the feeling of potentially being replaced. As we age, we have new competitors enter the fray. Younger men looking to move up. We feel like if we take time away from our job, even if it is for a noble purpose, we will lose a competitive advantage.
If we step away from our job, we risk losing our ability to provide. If we cannot provide for those we care about, what good are we?
Taking time for ourselves as men should be seen as a positive move.
A Man’s Health
Taking time to focus on our own health is one of the best precautions we can take against losing the ability to provide for our families. Being physically fit enhances our ability to protect our loved ones from threats, increases the time we have to teach and guide them, and perhaps most importantly, allows us to relieve the intense pressure we feel on a daily basis.
It’s no secret that men tend to keep their struggles and emotions to themselves. Not everyone feels comfortable with sharing those struggles with others, such as a trustworthy spouse of a professional therapist. However, physical activity does more than get us ready for beach sessions. It relieves stress. Hard exercise does massive good for one’s self-esteem and mental health. Taking the time to exercise and get your mind and body right, is a necessity, no matter how often it may get paused to the back burner. To do it even better, why not invite a friend along?
A Man’s Friends
Probably the most neglected aspect of a man’s responsibilities is that of friendship. When we are not working, we feel that we need to be with our family. We feel we should be working when we aren’t with our family. When we take the time to exercise, we tend to do it as a solitary activity. Get in, get it done, and get out.
But where do we go when we need to laugh? When we need to be chastised but also feel comfortable enough to share our inner thoughts out loud? We should be turning to friends. Unfortunately, as society has gone more digital, the connections we make with friends have gotten weak. While the ability to speak with a friend on the other side of the world through social media is great, men need camaraderie. We need time spent outdoors, building things, and solving the world’s problems, if only in theory and from underneath the hood of a project car.
Taking the time to spend with a group of friends allows a man to let his guard down. He can be himself, free of judgment, but still apt to be the butt of a good-natured joke. Real friendship can be looked at as a battle, honestly. Not a battle against a foe, but a battle of your own against the world, with a brother by your side. To have someone worthy to be by your side in battle, you must also be worthy. Making time for friendship is what it takes to build an army that will fight alongside you when you need someone the most.
We can get lost in our responsibilities to family and career during the travails of life. Taking care of our health and friendships can help us find our own way when we get lost.
Make sure you are taking the time to care for yourself, so you can be your best in caring for others.
