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Balance is the word that fits best for me, but if you feel the word “balance” has been overused, feel free to substitute it with the word you feel fits best for you. Are there moments, days, weeks or months that you feel like a “Weeble”?
A Weeble is an egg-shaped toy with a weighted bottom that when you hit it, pops up in its upright position. The slogan for the Weeble is “Weeble’s wobble but they don’t fall down.”
What I’m really talking about is your life—do you feel it is in balance and harmony? Have you been able to find a smooth feel to the way your life is flowing for you, or are you feeling overwhelmed, bogged down by stress, worry, or a feeling of being pulled in too many directions at once by the number of obligations you have taken on?
If you answered that you feel overwhelmed, stressed, exhausted or frustrated, then read on as I share ways for you to bring more balance into your life, personally and/or professionally.
Signs that your life may be out of balance
1. You are constantly in motion. If you’re not working, you’re running errands, running your kids to their activities, helping kids with homework, cooking, shopping, cleaning, or trying to keep up with your friends and their lives.
2. Your “to-do” list has pages of things that need to get accomplished in your day, week, and/or month.
3. You are so tired that you have to really push yourself to be able to get items checked off your list, and you still find that things fall through the cracks.
4. You never have nor make time for yourself and you never take any downtime.
5. You feel fried, burnt out. You feel like a hamster on a wheel, moving, moving, moving, but not getting anywhere.
What can you do to bring your life in balance?
Balance is best obtained when you think like a tightrope walker crossing a rope, one foot deliberately put in front of the other foot, with purpose, patience and mindfulness.
You may wonder how this can be done. First, it’s important to understand that you can’t ride two horses with one ass, so prioritizing is important. It’s also important to learn to let things fall and to pick them up on the next round. I get that, that isn’t always able to be done, but once you learn to release your grip on everything and grab hold of what you need to do in that moment, you’ll retrain your focus on the most important items you need to accomplish in that moment, and not try to keep all your plates spinning at once.
Below are some insights on ways to bring more balance into your life:
1. Time block your calendar.
To the best of your ability plug your activity and the amount of time that activity will take into your planner. Include work, travel time, and children’s activities, etc. What’s important is that you also include personal time where you might meditate, exercise, read, or enjoy a nice relaxing bath.
This will give you a clear view of where you are spending your time. If you need more time for something you would like to do for yourself, you can go into your planner and see where you might be able to shave sometime. By doing this, you are able to see all parts of your life at a glance. Knowing that you can move some pieces around to fit your needs will allow you the ability to take a breath and bring more equilibrium into your life.
2. As mentioned above, loosen the grip you have on all the pieces in your life.
By loosening or letting go of these things, you will make space and allow yourself the time to experience new and different things, take risks, be open in ways you don’t feel you’re able to given all of the obligations you have loaded onto your plate.
3. There is no such thing as perfect.
It’s exhausting to try to achieve perfection, either in your work or personally. By embracing the imperfections, you will allow yourself to take a breath, pause, and gain the insight to honor the person that you are and embrace all your unique qualities. By releasing the need to be perfect you will also give yourself the space to laugh at yourself and all your foibles.
4. Ask for help.
Asking for help when life is getting overwhelming for you is a sign of strength, as well as a way to have respect for yourself and the insight to know when things become too much. Some feel that asking for help or support makes them feel weak or inept but in reality, having the ability to know your limitations and being able to ask for what you need is a sign of knowing yourself and your boundaries.
5. Learn to say no.
I tell my clients that “no” is in the English language for a reason. When that word was created, it was created to implement personal boundaries. Saying no is not selfish, mean or self-centered: it is a way to protect you, your time and your resources.
In addition to implementing the above suggestions, it’s important to include good nutrition, restful sleep, movement, journaling time, and meditation into your daily routine. By taking good care of yourself you are showing that no matter what is going on in your day, you are doing supportive things for yourself. These are big steps towards being able to bring more balance, harmony, and equilibrium into your life.
Have any more tips for getting your life in balance? Let us know down in the comments.
This article originally published on GREY Journal.
