Working long hours without the necessary rest and recreation can deprive you of many joys in life. It can also lead to serious health problems.

Prolonged overwork has been linked to obesity, alcoholism, heart disease, workplace accidents, substance abuse, anxiety, fatigue, depression and many other stress-related disorders. Overwork can also be fatal. According to a report, it is estimated that in Japan about 10,000 people a year die because of it, who also die from road accidents in the same country every year. This phenomenon—called karoshi, "death from overwork"—is not limited to Japan.

Balance is vital. Don't let your profession make you psychotic. Protect your mental, physical and emotional health by taking time to rest and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

"We should work to live, not live to work," says Richard, who is married with three children. Balancing work with rest and relaxation will also help you provide for your family. But this balancing act is not an easy thing, especially when the bills are running.

Balance Work with Family Life

Today many families have overloaded schedules and communicate little. "Work drains most of my strength and the children take what's left," says a woman from England sadly. A poll in the US showed that 1 in 5 teenagers consider "not enough time with parents" as their main problem. Another study done in the US revealed that, in families where both spouses work, the husband and wife talk for an average of only 12 minutes a day.

Depressed by the increasing pressure at work, many are re-examining their priorities and making changes. Steven, a family man with two children, recounts: "I worked overtime and my wife worked weekends. We hardly saw each other. Eventually, we re-evaluated our lives and made changes at work. Now we are much happier." Alec, a store manager, says: "While we were expecting our second child, I started looking for a job that would suit our family's circumstances. In order to have better hours, I took a job that paid me $10,000 (€7,000) less per year than the previous one, but it was worth it!" Barbara quit her job when her first daughter was born. "It was hard to get used to living on one income again," Barbara recalls. "But my husband and I thought it was better for me to stay home with Natalie than put her in daycare."

However, we have to admit that many families are struggling just to cover the monthly expenses. Some family heads work two jobs just to make ends meet, while in other cases both spouses work, leaving the children with the grandparents or in a daycare center.

Perhaps you can find other ways to balance work and family responsibilities. The bottom line is: Don't deny yourself the joys of family life by over-emphasizing work.

Rest assured that balancing work, leisure and family needs will reward you richly.