What is "Balance"? I actually don't think it exists. There's no such thing as a perfect state of balance. Life is always changing. Intensities going up ...Intensities going down. There really only is "balancing". Life is a process of making continuous little adjustments. It's figuring out where you are overextended on one side and where you might be undersupported on another. Then making little adjustments as best as you can. This balancing and tweaking show up every day with our diet and exercise.
The big challenge comes is being present in our daily lives. Waking up and setting our intentions. Making our lives a priority. I find that when life seems out of control, it shows up in our diet, exercise and self-care.
Morning routines are a must! Wake up, stretch, journal, and plan an outline of your day. Just scribble your basic day and leave room for detours. Might take 15 minutes.
Do your best to schedule a mid-day break. Time for lunch, but also a time to process how the day is going. Seeing what needs fine-tuning to make the day as productive as possible. I have discovered that when I do this quick reflection, I benefit from a better night's sleep.
Recently, I discovered that when I feel "stuck" or "trapped" in a situation, I turn to food to comfort me. It was a huge revelation. Thinking about food and eating gives me something that I can control and execute. I now ask myself when I feel that "anxiety", what do I want to do that I am not doing. It can be silly and simple. Like needing to run on an errand, but having back-to-back clients. Nothing earth-shattering, but it's a constant background buzz.
Once a week, I treat myself to a manicure and pedicure. During the pedicure, I take my planner and review my upcoming week. Pilates sessions, my puppy schedule, and personal appointments (doctors, dentist & "glam squad :) )
During the pandemic, I wondered why I felt a little unorganized and realized how this routine really helped me. Figure out what your "routines" are and don't apologize for them.
For many years, I have kept a list of goals for my future. Checking in every six months along with my subscriptions as well as how I am doing financially and managing my time helps keep me on track.
A simple question I ask...."Does this still make me happy?" or "Does it still make a difference?"
While studying to become a health coach, one of my big takeaways was the "Wheel of Life". I incorporated it into my six-month check-ins. All you do is rate how you feel about the particular area of your life on a scale of 10 with 0 being towards the center and 10 on the arc. Once those are completed, draw a line from point to point to see where you need to focus on improvement/balance.
I found this helpful in where to focus my energy and efforts to restore the foundational balance to build on. Without a starting point and a target to aim for, distractions will suck you in and before you know it, you are another year older and nothing to really show for it. Pay attention to the detours that the universe drops in front of you to point you to your final goal. People you meet, obstacles you might face or simple "a-ha" thoughts that needed to be discovered. Enjoy the ride!
Celebrate your accomplishments, even the small ones, and keep going! Little and often make much!! Balancing all that life has to offer you along the way.
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