When discussing life balance in occupational therapy (OT)
When discussing life balance in occupational therapy (OT), it is important to first understand occupations. In OT, “occupations” are the meaningful activities that “occupy” (or fill up) a daily routine. This is unique from person to person, and can range from self care, to social engagement, to work, to play, and everything in between!
Occupational balance relates to how we distribute, or balance, these occupations into our routine as we go about our day. For simplicity, these categories can be occupations we “have” to do and occupations we “want” to do. This is a subjective balance and can vary depending on the person.
It’s not about equal time for every activity, but what meaningfully and positively reflects someone’s values, needs, and life roles. Occupational balance supports mental health benefits across the lifespan, and it is important to consider from both a parent and child perspective.
Why Occupational Balance Matters Across the Lifespan
Occupational balance matters for both children and adults, although what it looks like can vary depending on age, environment, and preference:
- Children and adolescents: Achieving balance may involve dividing time between school, homework, clubs, play, rest, family time, and time with friends. When children lack balance, such as spending too much time with screens and reducing their window for play or rest, they may experience outcomes such as higher levels of anxiety, reduced attention, or behavioral challenges. In these early years, it is important to achieve a balance to support the development of emotional regulation, social skills, motor skills, and academic engagement.
- Adults: As we age, our occupations increase and can become more difficult to manage. For example, one may spend more time working long hours or completing housework and sacrifice time sleeping, being social, or engaging in rest or hobbies. If unbalanced, one may experience stress, burnout, or decreased focus and energy. Balancing occupations as an adult leads to positive mental health outcomes such as decreased anxiety, perceived stress, and overall improved quality of life.
How to Achieve Life Balance: An Activity
When determining balance and routine patterns, it may be helpful to write things down to visualize how you or your child’s days are spent. Consider both you and your child’s recent routines when completing the following steps:
Discovering the Current Balance
- Reflect on Your Values: Start by identifying your most meaningful roles and how current and ideal routines reflect those values.
- Discover Your Current Balance: Use paper to begin documenting different tasks throughout the day. Think about writing each task into color coded categories, making tables, or using colored paper to begin separating tasks into “want to do” occupations, “have to do” occupations. Some items may be a blend of both, that is okay!
- Ask yourself:
- “How do we feel about this?”
- “Is any part of my/my child’s balance causing us stress or burnout?”
- “Is this balance reflective of our goals?”
Tips for Achieving An Ideal Balance
- Set Goals: Think about strategies to find a more ideal balance. Here are some ideas!
- Scheduling brief leisure, hobby, or play breaks
- Allocating daily rest or social time
- Use reminders or use a planner to efficiently complete the “have to do” occupations to create more time for the “want to do” occupations.
- Creating FUN in the “have to do’s”: Play music while doing the dishes, invite a loved one on errands, make dinner time silly!
- It’s not a marathon: pick one small change you can make per week to stack into a new ideal routine balance.
- Be Flexible: Recognize life balance is ever changing. Our routines change with the seasons and passage of time (school breaks, work projects, family obligations, etc) require adapting on the go. An ideal life balance may look different depending on your/your child’s needs for that time!
- Seek Support: It is okay to ask for help! Ask family members, friends, health professionals for tips and tricks, emotional support, or physical support. If you need help building your village, check out your local online parent group (such as South Shore Moms Advice And Support or your local town’s community facebook group).
After reflecting, some families realize they or their child are spending more time on “want to do” activities. When this happens, there may not be enough time for the “have to do” responsibilities, which can lead to rushing, stress, and low energy.
Other families notice that most of their time is spent on responsibilities, with little room left for rest, play, or connection. Over time, this imbalance can show up as burnout, decreased focus, irritability, or feeling constantly drained.
Recognizing patterns of imbalance may be the clue that your current routine may need adjusting. Small, thoughtful shifts toward a more balanced rhythm can improve energy, attention, and overall well-being for both parents and children.
Whether in early childhood or later adulthood, intentionally shaping how we spend our time and working towards an ideal balance will support mental health, resilience, and satisfaction creating a stronger family unit.
References
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2020). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process (4th ed.).
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https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S2001
Eklund, M., Orban, K., Argentzell, E., Bejerholm, U., Tjörnstrand, C., Erlandsson, L. K., & Håkansson, C. (2017).
The linkage between patterns of daily occupations and occupational balance: Applications within occupational science and occupational therapy practice.
Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 24(1), 41–56.
https://doi.org/10.3109/11038128.2016.1162711
Håkansson, C., & Wagman, P. (2020). Occupational balance: A scoping review of current research and identified knowledge gaps.
Journal of Occupational Science, 27(3), 303–318.
https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2019.1636781
Parsonage-Harrison, J., & Dawes, H. (2024). Using Intervention Mapping to develop an occupational therapy-informed intervention for adolescents experiencing mental health difficulties.
British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 87(12), 730-741.
https://doi.org/10.1177/03080226241269228
Yazdani, F., Harati, S., & Haghgoo, H. (2022). Occupational balance and its association with quality of life and mental health: A cross-sectional study.
BMC Public Health, 22, 1123.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13567-5
