Discussing the balance in a person’s life resembles conversations about managing stressful times. As I write this, my daughter, Eva, an accountant and tax attorney, is in the final phase of her stressful and very hectic “busy season” as the April 15th tax deadline draws near. Some people think of those stressful times as periods in which their work/life/family–friends balance is unbalanced, and personal and professional fulfillment seems very far away. The stresses in our lives often make us feel uncomfortable, nervous, and anxious. At these times we wish that our daily activities could meld better so that the stress-induced discomfort would fade away, and we would feel more balanced. Each individual has a different sense of what these entities entail, and each of us undoubtedly feels strongly about what causes stress in our life or how to balance work, play, and human relationships.
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— Joseph S. Alpert, MD
This article originally appeared in the September 2010 issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
