“In all aspects of our lives balance is key. Doing one thing too much can cause upset, like the old saying goes, everything in moderation is the secret!” – Catherine Pulsifer
Yoga is one exercise that requires balance. In order to achieve some of the more difficult poses, my instructor once told me to quiet my mind. Get rid of all the thoughts in my head about what I had to do later, the errands I had to run and focus on the activity at hand. For women with busy lives it is often hard to quiet the noise in our heads. We multitask on a regular basis and while we are doing things we are always thinking about the three or more things we have to do next. As caregivers we often do for others long before doing for ourselves. Our needs get pushed to the end of our to-do list.
Most successful people recognize seven aspects of balance in their lives. They identify the things that must function together in order for them to be successful. As a general description, there are things that affect us from within and things that affect us externally. If we recognize that they are all equally important we can achieve balance. Balance comes in physical, emotional and spiritual forms and means different things to different people. In our fast paced society this can be challenging with all the noise in our heads; but if we can quiet our minds like in the yoga pose, it is much easier to see.
- Mindfulness or spiritualness: Whatever you can do to eliminate negative thoughts and bring peace and harmony to your mind; do that. For some it’s meditation, others its prayer and for others it’s just being quiet and listening to music.
- Heart or civic: Giving of yourself to others is the reward. It allows one to open their heart without expecting anything in return.
- Health: for women self care is the first thing to end up at the bottom of our list. But a balanced life means not only taking that time to get ourselves to the doctor but also doing those things that keep us healthy. Exercise, proper diet and adequate sleep are some of the mainstays of helping us to maintain a strong immune system.
- Work or business: most of us need our paychecks but not at the expense of your families. Since the amount of work and life differ from day to day we want to achieve equilibrium.
- Social: our friends are important. How much time we spend with them is equally as important. Having people around you that you like and trust is one of the best indicators of living a long life.
- Family: the people we are related to probably know us the best. They are the support system we were born into and they are the ones that will be there even in the lowest times.
- And lastly, Fun: we have all heard the saying that all work and no play makes Jack (Jill) a dull boy (girl). Making time to play is also important for your health. Whatever we do it should be just for us and a time we don’t have to think too hard about. By doing so it allows us to revive and ready ourselves for the things we really do have to think about.
When you are living with balance in your life, you are living with peace and harmony every day. Having a balanced life is never easy, especially when so many things and people need your care and attention no matter the toll emotionally and physically. There is no exact blueprint for balance and it is different for everyone. However, balance is important for your long term happiness and success.