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How often have you heard the term balance and not really understood what it meant due to its over-flooded use in books, articles, or conversation?
The definition of balance according to dictionary.com is: a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution ofweight, amount, etc.; something used to produce equilibrium; counterpoise; mental steadiness or emotional stability; habit of calm behavior, judgment; a state of bodily equilibrium.
Many of us posture about balance, but tend to make it more complicated than need be. For our purposes today, the balance I'm referring to is the ability to exercise self-control between our wants and needs. Balancing our desire's starts with knowing ourselves well and being keenly aware of our motives behind the desire.
For example, evaluating hunger; being aware of when your last meal was and identifying if perhaps your hunger is from another source like an emotional trigger. Many of us hunger for food, love, attention, sex, and intimacy in our lives and while it is natural, too much of any one thing isn't healthy. What starts out as a basic human need, can easily turn into an obsession, compulsion, or worse...addiction!
The art of self-control is all about personal awareness. Recognizing your feelings from moment to moment and having healthy ways to cope or manage them is the difference between a life of balance and one of chaos. Having a supportive group of peers that you can vent frustrations to, who will really listen without jumping down the rabbit hole with you is also vital to maintaining balance and perspective.
A word about coping tools. While I will write about this more in depth in another post, I'll mention a few ideas on the subject. Basically, these tools range from good self-care, to self-help, all the way to getting professional help by way of counseling and everything in between. They are as unique as the individual although common to most of us. Some examples include: Naps, journaling, meditation, exercise, reaching out to friends/loved ones when upset, reading, reciting affirmations, yoga, shopping, play, laughter, watching movies, and yes...blogging or texting.
Tell me what balance means to you? I look forward to hearing your viewpoint and examples of this
Hello! I like your blog! I have learned that just jumping in to a million things that look like they're good things to do, isn't the best approach. Balance can be very broad. First, we need to take a step back and look at what we're dealing with. Taking the time to analyze where we are at in life, what we're capable of, what's best for us, so we can be our best for others. :)
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