How To Gain Balance In Your Work And Life

Most people like to have a degree of balance in their lives. It is in this place that life usually feels easier and that everything is flowing more smoothly.

What sort of balance do you like to have in your life?

• Is it a balance between work and play? Perhaps a feeling that you have time to do the things you love or to relax and just “be”? As opposed to always feeling that you have to put others first and that you don’t have time to do anything for yourself!
• Do you like to feel that you have a balance in your eating habits? Maybe you like to feel that you can eat a varied diet, full of everything you like, without feeling guilty that you have had one glass of wine too many or indulged in too much chocolate?
• Maybe you like to feel balanced in relation to your spending patterns? For example, you may love to spend your money on a regular massage because it makes you feel great. As opposed to thinking that you can’t afford it or are being self indulgent and therefore holding back from treating yourself.
• Do you like to feel balanced in your emotions? Maybe a feeling that you are in control of your life as opposed to being overwhelmed, stressed out and just about managing to keep your head above water?

Through my coaching, I have come to notice some common patterns, behaviours and beliefs, which many working women take on. These often have the result of making them feel “stuck” and therefore out of balance in their life. See if you can relate to any of the following:

1. “I am an all or nothing person”. For example, “I have to fully commit to my diet/exercise plan before it is even worth starting.”
2. “If I tell him how I am really feeling, I am running the risk of being completely rejected, so what’s the point!”
3. “I can’t spend an hour doing Yoga as I just don’t have the time”.

The above examples really highlight the fact that we often believe we can only make a change in our lives if we either feel 100% committed and motivated, or at the risk of something else suffering. My question to you in all of this is, “what would be your middle ground? Your point of view from a place of balance?”
Relating this question to the scenarios above the answers may be:

1. “I could make 1 simple change to my diet to start with rather than feeling like I have to commit myself totally!”
2. “I could tell him that I am struggling at the moment with my feelings and tell him I would like some reassurance rather than pouring my heart out completely”.
3. “I could spend 10 minutes at the start of the day doing some stretches as opposed to feeling like I should invest a whole hour practicing Yoga!”
If you are feeling “stuck” in any area of your life at the moment and would like more balance in work and life, ask yourself if you are putting any unnecessary pressure on yourself to do things “properly” or “right”. It may well be that by reflecting upon what your middle ground is; you can release the stress of the situation and get back to a more balanced feeling place.