For most of us, the answer would be “No…I’m not in balance!” I can relate. It’s dificult in our current world to stay IN balance. There’s work (takes up so much of our energy), technology (how many times a minute do we get interrupted by texts, emails, cells, and social media), family (another Biggie), paying the bills, cleaning the house, making dinner, shopping, committments, doctor appointments, working out…the list goes on.
I’ve personally struggled with this much of my adult life. It seemed as if “Fight/Flight/Freeze” was my middle name. I remember when I was in the Air Force, I retired after 20 years, I was so excited when I got certified as a yoga instructor. I told my commander expecting some sort of encouragement and instead he laughed out loud! Literally! He thought that my type A personallity, nearly ADHD, and with a drive that wouldn’t quit, that I could never get to the point where I’d be breathing deeply into the moment and let everything else go! In a way, he was right. At that time I could balance and breathe deeply while I was in class but would quickly get right back into racing mode as soon as it was over. I struggled to keep myself at a place of balance.
Over the years I’ve worked hard at this. A very simple strategy came into my awareness some time ago that has really helped. I call it the Balance Square. Don’t google it, you’ll get lots of information about finance…. It’s part of a SMART goals system. With this system you simply take an honest look at 4 areas of your life – Physical, Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual – and see where you’re lacking balance and would like to improve. Then you write down Specific-Measurable-Achievable-Realistic-Time-Targeted goals.
Physical – Your goal here is to improve your health, wellness, environment, appearance, energy, diet, fitness, and/or take the time for some kind of body work like a massage. Emotional – How you can improve a relationship with spouse, significant other, friends, and/or family. Mental – Improving knowledge for your career, learn a new skill, or read something just for the fun of it. Spiritual – This could be a goal to share your gifts, to make a difference, medidate daily, and/or be of service to others.
You may be thinking, “How can I possibly fit this into my life?” It’s simple. For me, I have a sheet but you could easily write down these 4 areas in your day planner or phone. Then pick one item that you’d like to improve on in each area with a short-term goal date. Once you’ve achieved one, pick another thing in that category with a date to complete. The great thing about this simple process is that it’s in your face. I look at it every morning or evening with a date to achieve it. So it’s not like I want to lose 50 lbs! That would be a long term goal and these are short, one bite at a time. The better goal would be lose 3 lbs by May 27,2021 (a week from today). Some of your short term goals, once recognized and written down, can be achieved really quickly. For instance, call your mom, send a card to someone, get a pedicure, ride your bike for 30 mins, or plan a game night with the kids.
I hope in some way this concept will help you to become more balanced. It’s something that I truly have to keep in my awareness or I move back into overdrive! If you feel like something deeper is keeping you from accomplishing a state of balance, send me a note from the contact page. The Body Code was pivotal for me to release the things that were holding me back in my life and achieve optimal balance.
