What Does it Mean to Feel Balanced?
Often in today’s hectic world we are busy juggling many balls; work, family, health, friends, household duties etc. For me I feel out of balance when all of these things are pulling me in different directions, often my body in one direction and my head and heart in another. It can leave me feeling overwhelmed and like I am just going through the motions of life, rather than really connecting and truly enjoying it! When I feel overwhelmed and stressed, I feel I don’t have enough time for things; especially looking after myself.
So, to answer the question above, for me feeling balanced is about being true to myself and aligning my priorities, accepting that I can’t do everything all of the time, listening to myself and how I feel, identifying my needs and moving towards things with intent. Consequently, this helps me to feel calmer, more grounded, connected to myself and others, and ultimately happier.
Internal and External Balance
To dig a little deeper, I find it useful to split key balance factors into internal and external.
Internal factors can include what’s going on in your mind, heart and how healthy you feel from the inside. Whilst, external factors include; relationships, activities and work.
Sometimes we can focus on one side of the external – internal balance, throwing us off and leaving us spinning.
Internal
Mind: Challenging yourself to learn something new or go out of your comfort zone VS Making space for your mind to rest
Health: Exercising, healthy eating & drinking VS Resting, switching off and eating a treat
Heart: Giving love VS Receiving love
External
Work: Pushing yourself to achieve goals, focusing on the result VS Seeing the wider perspective and enjoying the process
Activities: Going out and enjoying yourself VS Staying home and chilling with a movie
Relationships: Nurturing relationships with family & friends VS Taking some time out for you
These examples show the opposite ends of the scale, both valuable, however, a varied balance is worth considering.
Balance Over Time
I like to think about finding balance over the course of a week, month or even a year. It might be that over the course of the week you eat fairly healthily with a handful of treats, this is very different to eating a handful of treats every day. You may need a week to rest and re-charge if your batteries are feeling low, but later in the month you may meet up with friends and family. You may wish to learn something new, such as a language, but this can progress over many months and years. Often we live in a world where it can feel like everything should happen now! Often it’s your own mind setting the rules and expectations on yourself!
Be kind to yourself, reflect on what you need and find more balance!
