With the pace most people live at, it can be easy to lose ourselves to the demands of modern life and realise months (or sometimes years) down the track that we aren’t making enough time for the things we really value. Many people feel that they need to find a better balance when it comes to managing the different departments of their lives.
Balance is highly subjective – it will look different to everyone and it is essentially a futile pursuit – it’s more like a feedback mechanism. When you feel like you need more balance, it’s usually a sign that you feel as though you are compromising something important in order to maintain the pace or lifestyle you are currently living – whether it be your health, happiness time with loved ones or to yourself – it is an indication that something needs to change. Let’s explore five ways you can regain a sense of balance in your life, however that looks for you.
Lose the ‘all or nothing’ mentality
If you use the phrase ‘fallen off the wagon’ to describe your daily choices, remember that there is actually no wagon to fall off. This kind of thinking can really sabotage our health efforts because we feel as though if we’re not doing everything ‘right’, we may as well not try at all. The truth is, we either make choices that are more or less nourishing, closer to or further away from what we truly value. The choice that you made yesterday has nothing to do with the choice you make today or tomorrow. You haven’t ‘ruined’ anything, you’ve just made one single choice – and there are plenty more to follow.
Align your priorities with your values
If you look at what you spend the majority of your time doing, you will see your priorities. We always make time for what we prioritise. So if you find yourself saying ‘I don’t have time for that’, consider that what you are essentially saying is ‘that is not a priority for me’. So, try that on. How do you feel when you say to yourself, for example, that preparing a nourishing dinner is not a priority for you? The reality is we cannot compromise our nutrition or continue to meet everyone’s needs above our own and expect to still have fantastic health. Working towards aligning your priorities and your values will help you to feel like you’re living a life true to you and that will give you a sense of balance like nothing else.
Consider your perception of pressure and urgency
Are you driving a sense of imbalance with your thoughts? Have you made what you have to do each day full of pressure and urgency? For too many, it doesn’t seem to matter if they have two things to do or 200, they are in a pressing rush to do it all. Yet for most, it rarely feels as if they are in control, or on top of any of it. In fact, a desire to control even the smallest details of life can be part of the challenge. There are moments, of course, that require us to act with urgency but these are generally few and far between. Try to save your sense of urgency for when it really matters and not drive the production of stress hormones in your body by living as if everything is urgent.
