Balance

As a human being living a human experience, I, like most of you, have many balls in the air and at times feel as if I am on a unicycle on a tight rope. If I go a little to the left, I fall. A little to the right, I fall. Stay right in the center, voila! I have balance. This can be a familiar feeling for many people because our world moves quickly which can make our lives move quickly and often, a ball gets dropped.

Flexibility is Key

When this happens, I take into consideration the number of hats I wear in my life, whether that’s work, family, social, or individual schedules. When navigating these various areas, I sometimes allow myself to become further and further stretched until one day, SNAP! The rope has lost its’ elasticity and strength and down I go. So how do I, how do you, create a life balance when there is so much to do and satisfy? Well, just like the rope which needs flexibility to remain strong, we too need flexibility to successfully navigate our hectic schedules.

According to Gustavo Razzetti of Psychology Today, “Being more flexible with the ever-changing world we live in and integrating all aspects of your life...”, is one of the pillars of implementing and maintaining balance. Razzetti points out that looking at your life in a holistic manner and taking into consideration all buckets of what makes you, you, can help to begin the process of becoming a balanced individual.

• Work
• Family
• Friends
• Communal
• Spiritual
• Physical
• YOU time

Balance is a State of Mind

Whether or not you have a toe in each of these pools or not, or maybe your pools look a little different, there’s no doubt that there is a demand for you and your time. By incorporating flexibility, coupled with letting go of control, you place yourself in the mindset that life is not stable but in constant motion.

Balance is not something we get; it’s a state of mind.

- Gustavo Razzetti, Psychology Today

This makes a world of sense because when our minds are chaotic, our lives are chaotic. So how do we calm the chatter, realign, and become accepting of the constant motion of life? Razzetti suggests the following:

• Integrate all aspects of your life.
• Lose balance to find balance.
• Prioritize your activities.
• Develop a balanced mindset.
• Practice journaling.

These suggestions require awareness of self and knowing what you feel like when you are in or out of balance and then making the appropriate adjustments, otherwise the next stop on this journey is burn-out. When we’re heading towards burn-out due to lack of balance, there are some over-arching themes involved; chronic stress, perfectionism, and dissatisfaction with your job and / or relationships (Emily Scott, Ph.D. from the website VeryWell Mind). In addition to lack of balance being an issue, you are now confronting the larger impact of imbalance and that is a higher risk of stroke, anxiety and depression, and an overall decline in physical health.

So, ask yourself this, how many times a day do you pause to breathe deeply? Do you ask yourself what you need? Are you aware when you are saying “yes” too much and to who and what you’re saying “yes” to? The more you can become aware of your own patterns the better chances you’ll have a creating new ones. We all have default ways of behaving and these are triggered by a thought, that is attached to an emotion from an experience, and then our default pattern goes into motion. If you can catch yourself doing this in the moment, Dr. Joe Dispenza suggests saying out loud, “Change”. The constant repetition of catching yourself and calling it out, begins to create new neural pathways that allow your brain to fire and rewire in a new and positive direction.

Awareness Facilitates Change

By creating new behavior patterns, we allow ourselves the chance to change, to become the most fulfilled person we can be, and to obtain a level of peace that is found within the experience of maintaining a balanced life. The challenge then becomes remaining steady on the tightrope of life by safeguarding ourselves with aligned action, intentional choices that benefit ourselves, and a safety net of friends, family, and community who is there to provide a welcomed landing spot. Creating balance in your life may be one of the biggest gifts you’ll ever give to yourself because it sends a message to you that you matter and to those around you that you value yourself and time. It is not selfish to say no. It does not make you less of a high performer to realize and act on what you need. It will benefit you greatly to allow enough space in your life for all parts of you.

Take some time this week and look for ways that you can balance your life. If you notice even one shift in a positive direction, consider that the beginning of what’s to come. Creating positive change has a ripple effect and since you’re on a rope made of flexible steel, the ripples serve as reminders for the next height you’ll aim for and eventually achieve!