"So there is no such thing as work-life balance. There’s work, and there’s life, and there’s no balance," said Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook, in an interview.

When a top global female executive makes that statement - it has the potential to stop you in your tracks! However, despite it being elusive, as long as the balance does exist there’s always hope of achieving it.

A gender bias?

A common perception that women struggle to balance between their several commitments is fast being negated by research which reports that men too grapple with similar issues.

Being viewed as the ‘breadwinner’, career progression, longer working hours, increased travel - particularly overseas, and increasing costs remain pressures that men face more as they look to balance work and life. Research suggests that the key to worklife balance is actually ‘one thing at a time and that done well.’ This is irrespective of gender - it is more about the fact that you are physically present at a place rather than where you think you should be, and that could be at home with the family for dinner or at an important client meeting.

Here are some tips to help in the drive towards work-life balance:

• Plan, prioritise, and delegate: the three keys to managing your time.
• Work on your health: a healthy body is your biggest asset in tackling an action-filled day
• Recharge with short breaks: this includes the whole range from a break within the working day to weekend getaways. When you are on personal time - switch off.
• Build relationships: Your social network will help you unwind, de-stress, and put things in perspective
• Forgive yourself: When things go wrong - step back and ask yourself the question, ‘Was that feasible, given everything else that’s on my plate?’ If the answer is no, then let it go.

Remember - work is a marathon, not a sprint. You’ve got to be around for the next few decades, so pace yourself. read more

Approximately one in two people are introverts by nature. But, this is not the same as being shy. People who are shy, usually lack the confidence to deal with social situations. Introverts, on the other hand, find social interaction to be emotionally draining. Shy people often shrink from leadership roles whereas introverts generally have good leadership skills.

How introversion can be stressful

In a world that cannot stop talking, introverts find small talk exhausting. Introverts face stress at the workplace as they feel left out, but don’t know how to belong. They are often misunderstood as being aloof and arrogant, but research shows that they are highly empathetic in one-on-one conversations. Introverts have trouble saying 'no' and negotiating, and therefore end up burdened with work. They tend to undersell themselves and do not like to participate in office politics and gossip.

If you are an introvert, you are not alone.Albert Einstein, Manmohan Singh, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Aditya Chopra, Warren Buffet, Hrithik Roshan, and Katrina Kaif have also been known to show classical signs of introversion.

Coping skills

• Most introverts have a high degree of task focus. This can be channelled to your advantage. For example, look at that casual chat over coffee as a daily routine task and it won’t seem so difficult to initiate social interaction.
• Store up (memorise if you need to) a set of witty comments for use in social situations, that is, use icebreakers. (Make sure they are relevant to the context.)
• Assert yourself through written skills. Express yourself through emails and other forms of communication. Most introverts possess good email and phone communication skills.
• Do not try to change yourself. Instead, find a job and environment that suits you.
• If your days are full of meetings and group interactions, give yourself a break by scheduling quiet time at the end of the day.

Remember, it takes all kinds, and there is no such thing as an 'ideal' personality. read more

Definition

Respiratory acidosis is a condition that occurs when the lungs cannot remove all of the carbon dioxide the body produces. This disrupts the body's acid-base balance causing body fluids, especially the blood, to become too acidic.

Alternative Names

Ventilatory failure; Respiratory failure; Acidosis - respiratory

Causes

Causes of respiratory acidosis include:

• Diseases of the airways (such as asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease), which send air into and out of the lungs
• Diseases of the chest (such as scoliosis), which make the lungs less efficient at filling and emptying
• Diseases affecting the nerves and muscles that "signal" the lungs to inflate or deflate
• Drugs that suppress breathing (including powerful pain medicines, such as narcotics, and "downers," such as benzodiazepines), especially when combined with alcohol
• Severe obesity, which restricts how much the lungs can expand

Chronic respiratory acidosis occurs over a long period of time. This leads to a stable situation, because the kidneys increase body chemicals, such as bicarbonate, that help restore the body's acid-base balance.
Acute respiratory acidosis is a severe condition in which carbon dioxide builds up very quickly and before the kidneys can return the body to a state of balance.

Symptoms

Symptoms may include:

• Confusion
• Easy fatigue
• Lethargy
• Shortness of breath
• Sleepiness

Exams and Tests

• Arterial blood gas (measures levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood; in respiratory acidosis, the level of carbon dioxide is too high)
• Chest x-ray
• Pulmonary function test

Treatment

Treatment is aimed at the underlying lung disease, and may include:

• Bronchodilator drugs to reverse some types of airway obstruction
• Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (sometimes called CPAP or BiPAP) or mechanical ventilation if needed
• Oxygen if the blood oxygen level is low
• Treatment to stop smoking

Outlook (Prognosis)

How well you do depends on the disease causing the respiratory acidosis.

Possible Complications

• Poor organ function
• Respiratory failure
• Shock

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Severe respiratory acidosis is a medical emergency. Seek immediate medical help if you have symptoms of this condition.

Call your health care provider if you have symptoms of lung disease.

Prevention

Do not smoke. Smoking leads to the development of many severe lung diseases that can cause respiratory acidosis.

Losing weight may help prevent respiratory acidosis due to obesity (obesity-hypoventilation syndrome).

Be careful about taking sedating medicines, and never combine these medicines with alcohol.

References

Seifter, JL. Acid base disorders. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier. 2007: chap 119. read more