What is life balance?
How do you define balance in your life?
How do you achieve balance in your life?
If you’re having difficulty coming up with an answer to these questions, you’re not alone. For many people, it may be easier to recognize what being out of balance feels like in their life. The sensation of being pulled in one direction too much or in too many directions at once may be more familiar to many than feeling like all aspects of your life have equal weight and importance.
Although having balance in life will look and feel differently for each person, there are aspects of achieving balance and living a life of balance that are true for everyone.
When the body, mind, and heart are aligned with your values you are more likely to feel in balance. When either the body, mind, or heart is being overwhelmed to the detriment of other aspects of your life, you’re likely to feel out of balance. When life is out of balance, there are usually one or two areas of your life that are taking up too much brain space, time, or energy in relation to all the other aspects of your life.
Feeling out of balance can contribute to mental health concerns such as feelings of frustration, anger, depression, and much more. It can also contribute to physical health concerns such as fatigue, fluctuations in blood pressure, hormone spikes, aches and pains, and other physiological effects.
Being out of balance can have a profound effect on your life and health.
Do you know what your needs and values are?
We all want to have balance in our lives, yet it can seem like an impossible thing to achieve. With busy lives, hectic schedules, a mountain of tasks waiting to be checked off your ‘to do’ list… it can be difficult to know where to start.
Having balance in your life starts with acknowledging that YOUR needs come first. But do you even know what your needs are? Do you know what your values are? When was the last time you took a moment to consider what’s important to you?
It’s easier for many people to focus on the needs of others rather than looking at their own needs. Some may think it’s a selfish approach to think of yourself first, but as the saying goes, you can’t take care of others until you’ve taken care of yourself. Understanding what you value most in your life and what you need to live a life that’s true to your values is vital to living a life of balance.
Take a life inventory
First step: take a good look at your life. Think of it as taking a life inventory. What’s going on in your life – internally and externally – and what are the areas that may be needing a bit of extra attention?
Examine and acknowledge how you’re feeling and thinking about each area of your life. Be honest with yourself about the areas of your life that may be pulling you out of balance or areas that you may be neglecting. Are you operating with a more internal or external focus? Is one suffering because of too much focus on the other?
Acknowledging the areas where you may be out of balance will enable you to adjust as needed. It’s a good idea to check in with yourself on a regular basis to acknowledge areas where your life may be out of balance so that you can make adjustments whenever needed. Living a life of balance isn’t one-stop shopping. Life changes all the time, so you’ll need to reassess regularly to maintain equilibrium.
Set some goals
Next, make a list of the things you want to change. Set some life goals for yourself and plan the tasks that will help you achieve them. You can set daily, weekly, and monthly goals. Reflect on what’s worked for you in the past and what hasn’t. Think about why some things worked and others weren’t as successful. What can you do differently now?
Here are some questions to get you started thinking about balance:
Body: Are you getting the food, exercise, and rest your body needs to be well?
Mind: Are you challenging your brain but also finding opportunities to allow it to rest?
Heart: Are you giving and receiving love and support in equal measure?
Make it OK to make mistakes and take a break
While you want to live in balance as much of the time as possible, it’s vital that you give yourself permission to mess up or make mistakes or be out of balance on occasion. No one is perfect all the time and perfection should not be the aim. Give yourself permission to not be perfect.
At Nature’s Link, we like to use the 70/30 guideline. Live your life in balance 70% of the time and allow yourself 30% of the time to veer off course slightly. Knowing what balance looks like in your life will make it easy to know when you’re off track and how to course correct.
Finally, always be kind to yourself. Making change in your life is not easy. Negative self-talk or thinking will only make it more difficult for you to stick with the changes that will help keep you in balance.
Natural health consultations with someone who cares
Finding balance in this life is not a simple thing to do and sometimes we all need a little help getting started with something new. Kristine Devillier is a board-certified naturopathic doctor with more than 20 years’ experience in natural health. She’s dedicated her entire professional life to helping others (and herself) find balance and better health. Dr. Devillier creates holistic health plans that are specific to your needs and guides you on your journey to better health and more balance.
Get in touch with Nature’s Link
If you’re ready to take the first step in bringing more balance to your life, reach out to Nature’s Link Wellness Center on 337-332-2705 or online. Nature’s Link Wellness Center is proud to provide holistic health and alternative medicine to Breaux Bridge, Lafayette, and the entire Acadiana community.