How to achieve a balance between work and private life and how to prevent burnout at work was the topic of the panel “Life in Fifth Gear” held as part of Lider’s 13th International Conference Women in Business, which took place on Thursday in Zagreb. The panel began with moderator Boris Trupčević’s question of whether there is even a balance between work and personal life in today’s business world. Ena Vitlov, head of biopharmaceuticals for Croatia at AstraZeneca, shared her experience, highlighting how much she missed work when she went on maternity leave.
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– Balance is necessary because love for work can easily take over you – says Vitlov. Balance is extremely important; American psychologist Abraham Maslow posited that every person strives for self-actualization, added Lea Brezar, co-founder of the private high school Epoha. – If we assess that work is not our purpose, burnout occurs – believes Brezar.
Pressure of perfectionism
However, the term “balance between work and personal life” has gone too far, assesses Selma Terlević, content editor at 24sata. In her opinion, we have all been raised in perfectionism, and the desire for success is very pronounced today. – The environment influences us; if we are in an insecure environment, like a private project we still need to develop, it is completely different from the security provided by a large corporation. The environment is what can push us over the edge – assessed Terlević.
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When the “crossing over the edge” happens, it is usually due to the fact that we experienced burnout because we constantly suppressed problems, claims Lea Brezar. – When that happens, we realize that we always knew how to prevent burnout – says Brezar. Her recommendation is breathing exercises. On the other hand, breathing, nor meditation, is not how Iva Rogović Lekić, CEO of the insurance broker Marsh Croatia, fights stress.
