WATCH: Discover The Power Of Balance With Career Psychologist, Sinéad Brady

In partnership with Avonmore Balance Milk, IMAGE is seeking to help women to find better balance in all aspects of our hectic lives with a new series, Discover The Power Of Balance.

We asked you, our readers, how you felt about the balancing act of your day-to-day. Our survey was completed by over 1000 Irish women and shone a light on some of the biggest concerns for all of us navigating the at-times demanding contemporary landscape.

Just 57 percent of you felt you had a good work-life balance. The vast majority of respondents reported having just 1-2 hours of ‘me’ time per week. More than half of our readers admitted to frequently working through lunch, and for one-third of those polled, this is a daily reality.

From greater equilibrium in our work lives to practical ways to navigate the tricky tightrope that is our financial juggle, we want to develop strategies to bring back that longed-for sense of calm amid the clamor of career,’relationships’ and financial matters.

IMAGE and Avonmore enlisted the help of five experts across a diverse set of disciplines (relationship psychologist, fitness guru, dietician, personal finance advisor and career strategist) to guide five IMAGE readers with practical advice and tips on how to regain some essential balance in their lives. By bringing a little harmony back into our packed schedules, we are then free to enjoy our lives to the fullest and to feel invigorated by our commitments, rather than enslaved to them.

Watch how career psychologist, Sinead Brady advised Sonja, a busy working mum who has just completed a Masters, on how to proceed in her new chosen career as a photographer with her own small business.

Sinéad suggests making note of your bottom line desires for daily life – be it exercise or time to ‘socialise’ in a journal. Over three weeks assess whether you’re achieving these goals. Sinéad suggests then using these “non-negotiables” when making important decisions regarding career changes as this will help to conceptualise what sacrifices might be required for a new job opportunity. It will also cement your own feelings about whether these are sacrifices you are willing to make.

Sinead also stresses the importance of balance in your career.

“It’s important that you give yourself a little self-compassion, that you get to do something for yourself.”

“We’re trying to please so many people, but it’s about getting that balance right, that it’s okay to say ‘yes’ sometimes and it’s okay to say ‘no’ sometimes.”

Watch the full video and see how Sinéad’s advice might inspire you to make similar changes to your own approach to work. You can also visit Sinéad’s website, ‘A career to Love’ by clicking HERE

New Avonmore Balance Milk with extra protein and added iron, is specifically designed to put back in what life takes out.