A well-balanced life
April 2, 2006 | 12:00am
No matter how many jobs we seem to do, tasks we need to accomplish, we have only one life. Balance helps us see that the different aspects of life – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual – are in correct relationship with one another.
I believe that as long as each of these aspects of our lives gets the attention it needs, we will be able to enrich others’ lives as well as ours.
Here are some of the things I believe can help us balance our lives.
•Know what drains you and recharges you emotionally. Find the middle ground between the two. When we are emotionally resilient, we can confront our problems with a sense of hope and power. But when we are emotionally drained, we are physically tired as well and we are zapped of so much energy. It is difficult to focus or make reasonable decisions when our emotions are not in a good place.
•Take care of your body. When we don’t take care of our body – not resting enough, not eating well – we will feel consistently tired and overwhelmed. We only have one body. Let us not put it through too much stress and neglect it. It will take care of us if we take care of it.
•Take time to play. Have fun! We need our personal time – time with family and time with friends. We have time for work and time for fun! There should be balance.
•Develop your spiritual side. Our soul needs attention, too. I know I couldn’t go through each day if I don’t pray for God to give me strength and wisdom. Seeking Him in my heart has given me my strength. Knowing He is there makes my struggles easier. I know I don’t have everything in me to run my life. He still holds the key and I look up to Him for guidance.
•Be a lifelong learner. Be open to learning all the time. There is always something you can learn. It can be through books, through people, from school and so much more. Stimulate your mind with new information so it doesn’t get stale or empty with ideas.
There are many things, situations that give us stress. That will always be there in different forms. We just need to know how we can deal with it so it doesn’t get the best out of us. There are changes and actions we can take that will help us deal with stress and allow us to control our emotions.
•Surround yourself with people who inspire you. We all have people in our lives who inspire us, who fill us, who help us recharge. Make it a priority to spend time with them.
•Find a special place that refreshes and inspires you. It may be anywhere. A park, the beach, a favorite spot at home, the spa, wherever you will feel relaxed and at peace. We need to find retreat from the craziness of our life.
•Schedule a "quiet time every day" and say "No!" to interruption (Unless there’s an emergency, of course). It doesn’t need to be long. About 15 to 30 minutes of quiet time every day can be so calming and will give you your peace. We all deserve this.
•Stick to your priorities. Be firm with those who might clutter up your life with their own priorities. Do not feel guilty about not doing what everyone wants you to do. You know which part of your life needs your utmost attention. They don’t. You have the right to do what you want, which comes first, and which doesn’t.
•Learn to relax. Relax your brow, drop your lower jaw. Avoid clenching your fists or holding on tightly to objects. Consciously relax your hands, especially when holding a pen, driving a car or watching TV. Relax your stomach muscles. Breathe deeply.
•Create a morning ritual. Begin each day with something that energizes you. Exercise or read over a cup of coffee. I start my day by exercising. I have been doing this for the last couple of years. It always helps clear my head of clutter, helps me think straight and gets me ready for the day.
•Take a vacation. If you can’t take a vacation to some place, taking a vacation from something can be restoring. For example, you can take a vacation from watching TV or listening to the radio or from phone calls. You can take a vacation from thinking of negative thoughts or from complaining. You make your own list and you’ll be surprised with what you can come up with.
We are only given one life, one life to enjoy, one life to enrich, only one life to live. So let’s live it the best way we can. Let’s find the balance in all the aspects of our life – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual – and be in harmony with them.
(E-mail me at babyjackster@yahoo.com or check my website at http://www.jackielou.comwww.jackielou.com)
I believe that as long as each of these aspects of our lives gets the attention it needs, we will be able to enrich others’ lives as well as ours.
Here are some of the things I believe can help us balance our lives.
•Know what drains you and recharges you emotionally. Find the middle ground between the two. When we are emotionally resilient, we can confront our problems with a sense of hope and power. But when we are emotionally drained, we are physically tired as well and we are zapped of so much energy. It is difficult to focus or make reasonable decisions when our emotions are not in a good place.
•Take care of your body. When we don’t take care of our body – not resting enough, not eating well – we will feel consistently tired and overwhelmed. We only have one body. Let us not put it through too much stress and neglect it. It will take care of us if we take care of it.
•Take time to play. Have fun! We need our personal time – time with family and time with friends. We have time for work and time for fun! There should be balance.
•Develop your spiritual side. Our soul needs attention, too. I know I couldn’t go through each day if I don’t pray for God to give me strength and wisdom. Seeking Him in my heart has given me my strength. Knowing He is there makes my struggles easier. I know I don’t have everything in me to run my life. He still holds the key and I look up to Him for guidance.
•Be a lifelong learner. Be open to learning all the time. There is always something you can learn. It can be through books, through people, from school and so much more. Stimulate your mind with new information so it doesn’t get stale or empty with ideas.
There are many things, situations that give us stress. That will always be there in different forms. We just need to know how we can deal with it so it doesn’t get the best out of us. There are changes and actions we can take that will help us deal with stress and allow us to control our emotions.
•Surround yourself with people who inspire you. We all have people in our lives who inspire us, who fill us, who help us recharge. Make it a priority to spend time with them.
•Find a special place that refreshes and inspires you. It may be anywhere. A park, the beach, a favorite spot at home, the spa, wherever you will feel relaxed and at peace. We need to find retreat from the craziness of our life.
•Schedule a "quiet time every day" and say "No!" to interruption (Unless there’s an emergency, of course). It doesn’t need to be long. About 15 to 30 minutes of quiet time every day can be so calming and will give you your peace. We all deserve this.
•Stick to your priorities. Be firm with those who might clutter up your life with their own priorities. Do not feel guilty about not doing what everyone wants you to do. You know which part of your life needs your utmost attention. They don’t. You have the right to do what you want, which comes first, and which doesn’t.
•Learn to relax. Relax your brow, drop your lower jaw. Avoid clenching your fists or holding on tightly to objects. Consciously relax your hands, especially when holding a pen, driving a car or watching TV. Relax your stomach muscles. Breathe deeply.
•Create a morning ritual. Begin each day with something that energizes you. Exercise or read over a cup of coffee. I start my day by exercising. I have been doing this for the last couple of years. It always helps clear my head of clutter, helps me think straight and gets me ready for the day.
•Take a vacation. If you can’t take a vacation to some place, taking a vacation from something can be restoring. For example, you can take a vacation from watching TV or listening to the radio or from phone calls. You can take a vacation from thinking of negative thoughts or from complaining. You make your own list and you’ll be surprised with what you can come up with.
We are only given one life, one life to enjoy, one life to enrich, only one life to live. So let’s live it the best way we can. Let’s find the balance in all the aspects of our life – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual – and be in harmony with them.
(E-mail me at babyjackster@yahoo.com or check my website at http://www.jackielou.comwww.jackielou.com)
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