The Reasons We Should Find Balance in Our Lives

Do you juggle many responsibilities? Keeping up with jobs, blogging, relationships, and self-care? Hard right?

If you are like me, you are probably doing a bunch of things while reading this blog. Your phone will probably ring and you will may forget to finish reading. How do we create balance in our everyday lives? Was that phone call really important? Could it have waited until you finish reading? Well maybe not reading, but what about while cooking, doing homework with your children, or exercising?

We sometimes think that if we multitask we are being super-efficient and productive. That is not what the research has said however. Dr, Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent and one of the top neurosurgeons in America said that multitasking is a myth. In an interview with NPR, he pointed out that when you multitask, "you actually expend quite a bit of energy just to switch from one task to another." He said: "you think you're doing both simultaneously, but you're probably doing neither as well as you could be, and you're probably going to take more time than if you just did them linearly in some way." So getting the balance is definitely not going to happen by doing many things at the same time.

Balance is something I strive for in my life, but it is sometimes hard. I get flustered with stuff and I get frustrated and overwhelmed. It’s usually hard to feel balanced when I’m trying to do so many things. Yet, I somehow manage to add even more when my plate is already full. It is the need to get as many things done in the 24 hours we have. It is the need to be successful and feel accomplished at the end of the day.

The only time I found myself not doing too much, was when I finished my masters and my brain and body felt like they weren’t mine. I was consumed with studying, work, family and relationships. I did not have time for anything else, so there was nothing to bring me balance. And come to think of it, it would have been impossible anyway. Recently I’ve decided to exercise at least three times a week, meditate, walk during lunch, find time to go out and sit somewhere and enjoy nature. I also committed to spending more time with my foster son. In addition, I make conscious decisions not to worry about the things I cannot change. I don’t always succeed, but I try.

Are you craving balance? Do you even know what balance is? Everyone’s jobs, relationships, and the things that fizz their ginger beer is different. Therefore we must first find out what balance looks like in our lives before we can begin the steps to achieving it. Maybe write it down or meditate then think about it, or vice versa. The idea is to clear your mind from all the clutter while trying to find balance. (I’m actually learning while I’m writing this.)

When we find balance in our lives, we will realize some or all of the following:

1. Better mood

2. Better physical

3. Better mental health

4. Less stress

5. Better relationships

6. Improvement in productivity

7. Improvement in efficiency

8. More success

9. More happiness and enjoyment

10. A more purpose-driven life

One of the reasons we may not be achieving that balance we seek is because we are inconsistent with our thoughts and actions. For example, for almost a year now I’ve been trying to go back to wearing size 4. I started a routine, get a little result and slowly go back to not paying attention to what I eat or more importantly when I eat what I eat. Ice cream and chocolate is not ideal after 10 p.m. three days a week, but it’s good to indulge every now and then.

To find balance in our lives, Psychology Today suggests that we:

• Integrate all aspects of our life - (me) See your life as one basket

• Lose balance to find balance - (me) Get out of our comfort zone, take risks

• Prioritize our activities - (me) Know what is most important and urgent in our life

• Develop a balanced mindset - (me) Question our imbalance

• Practice journaling - (me) Putting it on paper can give us perspective and answers
  

In addition to the above, are you lacking consistency in self-care; sleep, exercise, meditation, and food? These things are necessary in order to keep up with other life stuff like work and family demands. We are all guilty of saying that we don’t have time for this and that, but in order to have a balanced life we need to find the time for the bare necessities; sleep, eat, exercise.

I would appreciate learning how you find balance. Please share your tips with me and others in your comments. I look forward to hearing from you.

Click Me to learn more