What is a balanced life really? We’ve all heard of work/life balance but few have been able to really achieve it, until they no longer have to work. We’ve heard of a balanced diet but there are many people who aren’t really sure how to achieve that either. You can balance your checkbook, look at the balance in your bank account, and hopefully maintain your balance when you climb a ladder, but do you know how to have a balanced life?
If your life is out of balance you may want to look at what’s going on. Really assess your life as it is right now. Are you working too much? Are you struggling to maintain personal relationships? Is your health questionable? Are you practicing adequate self-care? Are you eating well? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you finding ways to have fun and relax?
Do you know what a balanced life would look like to you? The first step after making an honest assessment of your life, is to determine what balance is to you. Everyone’s definition of a balanced life will be different. Ask yourself the questions outlined above and decide where you are lacking. Here are some tips to bring balance into your life where you need it.
- set boundaries – You cannot be all things to all people, including your family members. You teach people how to treat you. You can be supportive without being enabling. Everyone will benefit from you setting healthy boundaries for yourself.
- set goals – Sometimes we are out of balance because we are spread too thin doing a little of this and a little of that but never really finishing anything. Or maybe we procrastinate and then have to be all in to complete what we put off, putting everything else on the back burner. If you set goals and break down the goals into manageable steps, you will have time to do other things.
- set priorities – You get to decide what your priorities are, not someone else. Decide what is important, what needs to be done right now, what can wait and what you can delegate to someone else.
- take consistent action – Decide what you need to do and do it consistently. Exercise regularly, be prepared to eat well every day, go to bed and get up at the same time every day and set routines for yourself. This will help you to free up time for other areas of your life.
- schedule your time – decide how you will use your time by using a schedule to map out your day, your week, your month. You may not be able to stick to it all the time, because you know…life, but most of the time a schedule will help you to say on track.
- make self-care a priority – If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else. You cannot pour from an empty vessel. Be kind to yourself, do what you need to do to make sure you stay healthy, vibrant, and energized to get through your days.
- take breaks – you don’t have to be “on” all the time. Make time for you and take breaks as you need to. The rejuvenation you will experience will help you to be more effective when you return to whatever you were doing.
- do a digital detox – I know that sounds really scary, doesn’t it? Put down the phone, turn off the computer and the television and get out in nature. Look at the world around you, smell the aromas of the earth, listen to the sound of the birds and everything else. You don’t have to do it for long but an hour or two won’t kill you. Use the time to meditate, read a book, cook a healthy meal, take a nap, or go for the aforementioned walk.
These are but a few of the ways you can rebalance your life. Balance doesn’t necessarily mean that everything in your life gets the exact same treatment, time allotment, or focus of energy. It means that you are happy and feeling at peace with the way your life is going. If that isn’t the case, it’s time to reassess and take stock of where you might be falling off the rails. Then do what you can to rebalance. By balancing your life, you can show others by your example what it means to live a balanced life. It’s for your own and everyone else’s good if you do.
As a health coach, I work with women who are facing serious health challenges like heart disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes or who have been diagnosed as having a precursor to a serious health issue such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high blood sugar. I help them make food and lifestyle changes so they can get healthy, live longer and enjoy a fuller, happier, more energetic life. If you would like to have a free consultation about the health challenges you have and the improvements you would like to see in your health, click here to schedule a no strings attached call.
