I’ve been thinking a lot about balance recently. Partly because, having gone a bit mad over Christmas and delivered the usual plethora of excuses in January, I know I need to sort out my diet but also look at all the other areas of my life including work, family, exercise and self-care.
When it comes to getting your life in balance, it’s easy to stick to the obvious elements such as work/life or diet/exercise and these are really good places to start but if you’re only focusing on sections of your life then is it really in balance?
Let’s start with managing your work/life. It’s great if you’re thinking seriously about how many hours you commit to your work and whether it’s taking over your life or if you’re ensuring that work has its place but it’s equally important thinking about how you focus on the ‘life’ part of your plan. Life balance isn’t just about the time not spent at work/caring for your family/doing jobs around the house, it’s also the quality of how you spend your non-work time. Are you incorporating healthy eating (not dieting, just managing your intake with the 80/20 rule; 80% healthy, 20% treats), moving your body, including some self-care on a (preferably) daily basis, having quality time with your loved ones, having some fun, managing your ‘to-do’ list, having some relaxation time and getting some decent sleep?
I know, the list is overwhelming and how on earth are you expected to fit it all in and feel in balance? The list just sounds exhausting to me.
Take it one step at a time. You can’t just go from madly busy life to in-balance in one easy step. There is no right place to start. Choose something that you want to focus on and when that feels like it’s working better for you maintain that one and start to focus on the next step. It may be easier to focus on the thing that’s wearing you out the most or the one that feels easiest to make some simple changes in. Do what is right for you.
Life in balance should be life-enhancing, not feeling like a chore. Being in balance allows you to feel like the best you so that you’ve got time and energy for the people and pursuits that allow you to enjoy your life.
You don’t have to be doing everything all the time. Self-care is beneficial to your everyday well-being so if you can include some into each day then that’s great but if work takes over one day, pull it back on another day, if you can’t fit exercise in on one day, can you at least run up the stairs rather than taking the lift or walk to the shops or on the school run rather than taking the car?
Try and get a couple of early nights in each week, take time to breathe and quieten your mind and when you look at that to-do list, look at what really needs doing and what can be parked for now.
Balance is an all-round thing so if you’re struggling to make it work, be kind to yourself and just make some simple changes in the right direction.