Finding the Right Balance in Life

The last thirty years have seen major changes in the way we live and work in the U.K. One of the most obvious being the increase in numbers of women in employment, particularly mothers with young children. At the turn of this century the number of women of working age that were in employment stood at 70%, an increase of 10% since 1979. Improved wage opportunities have been an important factor in this increase in employment of married women, and an increasingly hectic lifestyle means it is unsurprising that more and more women of all ages and skills are finding themselves in work.

Recently there has been a dramatic increase in flexible and part-time working. In 2007 the proportion of workplaces where some staff work from home had increased from 16% to 32%. Flexi-time, term-time and job sharing have also increased. This further redirection of employment patterns can be interpreted as an attempt by employees to find greater success in the way that they balance work responsibilities and family life.

This balance is integral to our happiness. Overwork, particularly during the winter months, can lead to heightened levels of stress and can even cause depression. Women are also more likely to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), with females accounting for 80% of recorded cases of SAD in the U.K. SAD has only been a recognized illness since the early 1980’s, its increase coinciding with the increase in female employment. It is possible to draw a correlation between the two – that increased work, pressure and stress has led to increased susceptibility amongst women to illness or psychological trauma such as that caused by SAD.

It is important to realize that the right balance can be found not by pushing harder, but by making a few small adjustments to our daily routine. A stressful schedule does not have to be wrestled with alone, and there are small ways in which the stress can be alleviated. Most notable of these is through using devices such as the daylight alarm clock, which synthesizes the dawning of sunlight. Studies have shown that with as little as thirty minutes exposure per day, the effects of SAD can be confronted. The pineal gland is a light-sensitive organ situated in the base of the skull and is responsible for the secretion of melatonin. Once darkness falls, melatonin is secreted making us feel drowsy. The secretion of this hormone is also oppositely proportional to secretion of serotonin - the “active” hormone - which is responsible for uplifts in mood.

Stresses caused by increased pressures from all walks of life exacerbate these hormonal processes, so by increasing the amount of light that we take in we relieve some of this internal pressure, allowing us greater opportunity to take on external pressures. When considering that such a short time spent (from thirty minutes per day depending on the light intensity emitted from the device) can provide such a huge emotional and psychological benefit it is little wonder that more of us are seeing the light and finding that right balance.