Stelle wrote:I know that this is only marginally language-related, but I would welcome anyone's thoughts on how to balance work and life.
I'm no expert on life or language-learning. For what it may be worth, here are some of my thoughts. I have observed in my life that people are happiest when they have more control over their own lives... like when you were in Guatemala. Life-work balance can be tricky. I haven't been an employee in several years. I'm self-employed and I like it precisely because I can control to a greater extent what I do and what comes at me. I realize that not everyone is cut out to do what I do. I believe that one can achieve a situation in working as an employee where one is happier even without having as much control as I do in my work.
Years ago, when the internet was young and I'd just moved here, I discovered Leo Babauta and his blog zenhabits. I quote from Leo from time to time here on the forum. It's not about religion or Buddhist practice but does take some inspiration from zen. The blog can be a bit confusing for linear-minded folks so I suggest you start here. Leo doesn't have all the answers. Neither do I, in life or language-learning, but I did find his philosophy helped guide me to find my own answers. It's an on-going project for me, life as well as language-learning. Maybe it may help you too. If not, no big deal.
There are a a couple of things I have observed in my time that help me along the way, one is that we can't control what happens to us many times in life, but we can control our reaction to it. The other is something the legendary baseball player and manager Yogi Berra said and it clicked with me:
Yogi Berra wrote:Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical
I have several friends and family who are and have been teachers in the US. They tell me that their summer break is critical to their mental and physical well-being. I have a cousin who segued out of teaching into administration because he found it less stressful and more rewarding to do what he could to fix the "system" from the inside. It also didn't hurt that the hours and pay were better. A friend of mine left teaching to become a private tutor. She then convinced a friend to join her and now has a business with employees helping kids after school. She says it gives her all the joy from teaching without the stress. Another friend left the job to go into another entirely different, but related field- online life-coach- just some ideas that may stimulate your thinking.
One thing that I find that helps me is getting outside. I'd be lost without my morning walk. When I have to travel to the mainland US, I do that there too, no matter the location or weather. It centers me. I can find something interesting or beautiful wherever I may be.