Posted on February 18, 2014 by Taryn Allen

What does it mean to be balanced?

There are two types of balance: external and internal. Usually individuals are more focused on one or the other. When someone is focused on the mind, heart, and health they are looking more closely to the internal. Placing more attention to the external would include things like your family, social and fun, and work or career.

People who spend more time reflecting inward can often miss out in living their life experiences, while those that spend more time on external focuses can pay little attention to what goes in within their mind and heart.

Those who have discovered balance between internal and external then focus on the specific elements that lie within. For example, you may need to work on the heart and balancing giving and receiving love.

Avoid Imbalance In Your Life

Learn to say NO!

Saying no is the key to maintaining balance. Many people become unbalanced taking on too many responsibilities and becoming overwhelmed. Instead of enjoying the experiences and setting priorities, they end up trading in time for themselves or creating turmoil in their life.

Set Healthy Boundaries

It is imperative to set healthy boundaries in your relationships, work and life so that you do not end up hurting yourself and causing unnecessary pain. The clearer you are with your boundaries, the easier it is for you bring more power, integrity, and clarity into your life.

Limit Time with Energy-Zappers

Notice any negative energy and try to spend less time around it. When you constantly absorb the negative it tends to create more negative, which you do not want. Try to separate yourself from your cell or even your computer and spend time alone.

5 Ways to Achieve Life Balance

1. “Me Time”

Dedicating time for yourself daily may seem selfish when you have so many things to maintain with family, work, and home. In today’s world, solitude has been linked to loneliness, sadness, or even being antisocial; however, seeking this alone time actually has healthy benefits.

Setting time for yourself is essential to life balance. Your mind and body both benefit by removing distractions and refocusing. Time alone also improves your concentration and productivity, helps discover who you are at your core, your values, and find your own voice.

Your ability to think deeply and carry out your day-to-day responsibilities will take less time if you spend quality time alone and even the quality of your relationships will increase (both with yourself and others).

Any time that you find for yourself, whether at lunch, on a break, or before bed, to meditate, focus, relax, create, or think deeply, is better than none.

2. Make Physical Activity A Habit

Learning how to become physically fit can be overwhelming in our busy lives.  However, achieving a healthy lifestyle is one of the key ingredients in maintaining balance in your life. To successfully create a healthy and active lifestyle, start by making small changes. These small changes will create an exercise  habit, not an additional chore.

Here are a few practices that will help you create a more active life:

• Take a 10-minute walk after meals or during your break at work
• Wake up 30 minutes earlier than usual and plan a 10-minute exercise of your choice; walk, jog, yoga, or follow a DVD exercise
• Choose to be active such as take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk the dog, or choose to walk to your co-worker instead of sending an email or calling (add any extra activity when you can, these will help!)
• Make physical activity a priority and schedule a window of time daily
• Be consistent with your exercise; nobody is perfect and some days are not always the best but push through it and do not make one bad day a bad month

Remember, living a healthy and physically active life is not a destination it is a lifestyle!

3. Gain Control of Your Emotions

Controlling your emotions is not the same as ignoring them.  You can learn to recognize your emotions, then act on them appropriately. Do not let emotions control you, you control your emotions. When you figure out how to take control of emotions, you are able to take control of your life.

Some thoughts to help you control of your emotions:

• Put yourself back in control by knowing what emotions you are experiencing and what situations cause those types of emotions 
• Do not ignore your emotions because they tend to get worse the more you hold it in. Try to understand your emotions on a conscious level, they are not just appearing mysteriously. 
• Notice of the thoughts that are going through your mind when emotions arise and try to identify the cause.
• Take ownership of your emotions and do not blame others.
• Look at the situation from a different perspective and explore all the possible interpretations.
• Note the core reasons for your negative beliefs about yourself and others, and then make a conscious choice to change.
• Remain optimistic and ignore the cognitive distortions that make things worse than they truly are and recognize those ideas that come from fear or feelings of inadequacy.
• Speak to yourself with respect and love.

4. Create A Positive Environment

Who and where we choose to spend time affects our life greatly. You are a special human being on this planet for a reason and you should be around those who want the best for you, care for you, and share positive energy with you.

When you deal with negative people day after day, you tend to soak up the negative energy and can become toxic. Avoid the ripple effect, by making a decision to be around those that bring you joy and support you.

How to create a positive environment:

1. Write down 5 people that you are with the most often.
2. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do they inspire you?
• What are they doing?
• How passionate are they?

If they are not inspiring, positive, passionate influences, let them go. When you surround yourself with dreamers, creators, and positive people, your results will show! 

5. Recall 10 Joyful Things Each Day

Take a few moments at the end of each day to write down 10 things that brought joy to your life. Focus on the things that create happiness and practice being thankful for each of them.

Check in with Leo Babauta of Zen Habits in his pondering: How does the simple act of thinking about who and what I’m grateful for make such a big difference in my life?

When you perform this daily activity you channel your focus towards the positive things in your life.

The fact is, one person’s idea of balance will differ from another’s, and the variables needed to balance your life will not necessarily be the same as another’s.  Achieving balance in your life means you have the essentials you need for survival and your heart and head are aligned.

In your own order, rhythm and harmony, you achieve balance and happiness when you feel grounded to take control, ration, and conserve your time and energy.