The Key To Balance

Balance. What does it mean to have balance in your life? It may mean different things depending on who’s answering, but essentially it is finding a healthy boundary for every aspect of your life. This could be external activities such as work, school, sports, social events, family, so much more. Often times that is what first comes to mind when it comes to balance. Something we tend to forget is finding our internal balance, which would be how to balance your emotions, love for yourself and others, and overall taking care of your physical and emotional body.

Having an unbalanced life can lead to chaos, anxiety, and even depression after so long. Although it’s not always easy and can often feel exhausting to create your unique balance, the reward is astonishing. After all, who doesn’t want to be happier and feel better? Below are some ideas of how to find your unique balance. 

*Take note that I say CREATE not FIND balance. Balance in your life is something that must be worked at, it is not something you will just find one day. 

The very first thing that is so incredibly important when it comes to creating balance in your life is acknowledging which parts of your life are getting the most effort and attention. And to the areas that may not be getting as much as a thought a day. For example, it is very common that more effort is being put into work or school than internal conflicts such as taking care of your own emotions or physical well-being. Now as this makes a lot of sense, it is very important even after a long day at work or school to sit back and look at what you can do for your internal self. It could be as simple as taking 5 minutes to sit alone in peace reflecting on your day and how you’re feeling, dishing up a healthy meal or going for a walk/run.

Once you know which parts of your life that should be getting more attention, the real work starts. Something that may be helpful is to physically write out every aspect of your life (work, school, sports, working out, friends/family, being aware of your own emotions, eating healthy – are some examples) and note how often you are doing something beneficial for these activities. Once you look at how little effort you put into eating healthy for example, you can start setting some goals on how to balance this out with other activities in your life. This could be as simple as just planning your meals on a weekly basis, so you aren’t grabbing the first thing you see. Sometimes you need to spend less time on something so that you can spend more time on something else. We all know with making and completing goals, we must have steps and a plan along the way. It rarely goes perfectly, step by step but it will at least give you a template of what you could be doing. Don’t give up!

Creating balance in your life can be a challenge. Having someone to motivate you is a very useful tool and could definitely benefit you. Once you are aware of the imbalance in your life, you will find yourself needing to end old habits and start new ones to create your personal balance. Remember, everyone will have a different idea of what balance is and that is great! What works for you may not work for someone else. Often times it will not be a straight shot up, you will have some bumps in the road and days that aren’t so great but as long as you keep a positive attitude and stay aware of where your energy is going (and making changes if need be), you will do great!  

Alyssa Hart

Clinic Coordinator Assistant

Physical Therapy Consultants