Working Well: Seeking the elusive work-life balance, one step at a time

abcnews.go.com:

It’s no surprise that workers feel burned-out

NEW YORK — The moment I knew I had to get serious about work-life balance came without warning. I was writing a high-profile news story during the pandemic when my heart began pounding like a jackhammer.

I took a quick, deep breath and held it, hoping to calm the arrhythmia. It was a technique I’d learned to relieve occasional palpitations caused by my rare congenital heart defect. But this time was different. The room went dark. I couldn’t see. Then, just as quickly, my vision returned.

In the days that followed, I learned I needed to have a defibrillator surgically implanted as soon as possible. My cardiologist told me: it’s time to reduce stress. That was a prescription I, like many Americans, didn’t know how to fill, especially as the parent of a young child.

But the health scare and a cancer diagnosis that followed meant I had to try. Now, as I continue this journey, I’m launching a series called “Working Well.” While exploring ways to improve my own well-being at work, I’ll share experts' insights and tips with readers who hope to do the same.

We’ve been through a lot the past few years: A global pandemic took loved ones' lives and left parents juggling full-time jobs with no childcare. College graduates navigated their first professional jobs without lunch buddies or in-person mentors. Elections and wars divided families and places of work. It's no surprise workers feel burned-out.

But along with these challenges came a growing sense that we could choose to build our professional lives in a different, healthier way. Companies experimented with hybrid work models. Younger generations talked more proactively about mental health. Employers looking to retain workers