In today’s busy world, people struggle to find balance. People nowadays are not just working and living but they are juggling between multiple things including their work, personal life, health and of course social obligation. In this article we will reflect on the ways on how to live a balanced life?
People with so many responsibilities have now understood the importance of balance in their life. Not only will it make you feel in control of yourself but is also essential for both your mental and physical health. In fact, balancing life is somehow connected to your happiness.
Attaining a balance in life does not mean you have to lead a perfect life. There is no perfect life. Just try to create a balance where you feel satisfied with whatever you are doing with your life.
Let’s see “how to live a balanced life” makes it to your list of things for your wellness:
Prioritizing what matters the most
Why do we think we fail to create a balance between our lives? Well, the simple answer could be because we don’t have our priorities sorted. To create a balance in a life where everything is fast-paced you do not have to run alongside other people because that way you will lose track of the things that matter to you the most.
Make sure you sort your priorities and see what matters to you the most. These could include:
- Health (physical, emotional and mental well-being)
- Relationships (family, friends, partners)
- Work (career or professional growth)
- Personal development (learning, hobbies, self-care)
Once you know what matters the most to you, you can organize your time around it and set goals accordingly. Remember, that people change over time and you need to reassess your priorities with time so they align with your present self. Do not cling to something in the present that was important to you in the past.
For starting, you can make a list of 3-5 top priorities and then work on them by spending time on them every week or day.
Set boundaries
People often fail at finding balance between their work and life because they don’t set their boundaries right. They also find it difficult because of the easy excess that others have to them which blurs the line between their work and personal life.
In this era, where everyone can reach you every minute of the day, you need to set boundaries that will help you maintain the right balance in your life.
You can achieve this balance by:
- Establishing dedicated work hours and sticking to them.
- Avoid checking your emails or answering your calls outside of your working hours.
- You should create a separate working space (if you work from home) so it does not take up your personal space.
- You need to recharge yourself even while working so remember to take frequent breaks throughout your day.
Setting boundaries help a person not just to protect their personal space but also become productive and focused during their designated working hours.
By defining ‘work hours’ and ‘personal hours’ for yourself you can ensure boundaries that won’t hurt your life and you can make time for your priorities.
Make time for self-care
Self-care is a way to give yourself some love and then add some more to it. Make time for self-care and do things that you love because it is a fundamental part of living a balanced life. Self-care is necessary, especially now that everyone is immersed in their work and they do not have time for themselves. Self-care routine could be as simple as getting enough sleep to devoting a day in the week for skincare.
Self care includes doing things that will help you lead a healthy and balanced life. Make sure you incorporate a few things in your life that would speak volume for your health. A few self-care tips are:
- Getting enough sleep (7-9 hours) every night so your body can rest and repair itself.
- Exercising regularly. It could range from a 10 minute walk to a propers workout session in the gym because you need to move your body frequently.
- Practicing meditation and mindfulness because you need to manage your stress levels.
- Indulging a hobby or creative activity that brings joy to you so you could be connected to happiness and enjoy your life not just on weekends but on other days as well.
- Eat healthy and nutritious food that nourishes your body and promotes overall well-being.
Prioritizing self-care helps to improve your energy levels, mood and capability to manage stress. Thai helps you to manage your overall life better by making it easier for you to handle challenges.
Schedule your favorite activities and devote at least 30 minutes of your day doing the things you love to re-energize yourself.
Cultivate mindfulness and presence
To set boundaries so you can balance your life you need to stay in the present. You can’t live in the past or think about the future when it comes to creating a balance in your life. The secret of a balanced life is to be present.
Make certain you cultivate mindfulness because it will help you to stay in the present and engage with what’s happening in your life right now. To practice mindfulness you can:
Practice gratitude by focusing on the positive things in your life.
- Engage in activities without distraction. For example, eat your meals without scrolling through your phone.
- Practice deep breathing. You can start by taking a few minutes each day to breathe deeply and clear your mind.
- Try to keep a journal to process your thoughts and feelings.
Mindfulness is not time-consuming, all you have to do is try to be present by enjoying the moment that you are in without thinking about the unread email or the parcel that you will receive in the evening.
Nurture your relationships
Your relationships with others play a vital role in maintaining a balance in your life. In fact people want to create a balance in their life to give time to their relationships. Your relation with your family, friends, or romantic partners ensure that you have a fulfilling life, you have something to look forward to. When you nurture your relationships, you will find peace in your daily life and investing time and energy in them won’t feel like a task.
- Make time for your loved ones by:
- Scheduling regular phone calls or meetups with friends.
- Spend quality time with family without distractions
- Communicate openly and honestly with your partner about your feelings.
- Seeking new friendships that align with your values and interests.
To strengthen your connections you should schedule regular check-in in the form of texts, phone calls or meet-ups whenever possible.
Embrace flexibility and adaptability
Don’t rush yourself to follow your routine. Focus on today and be ready to be flexible. You should be flexible and ready to adapt whenever there is the need to do so. Remember, things can’t go as planned so be ready to adjust your times accordingly. If there is a situation or person who needs your attention more than any other thing going on in your life, then you should pay attention to that.
It is totally okay to give time to your family and friends if they need it more than your work. You don’t have to attain a perfect equilibrium just enough that could fit in your priorities without making you regret your decisions.
Keep on reevaluating your schedule and priorities so you can know which area needs more attention and which one can take a backseat for now.
Set realistic goals
Setting goals is another aspect of your balanced life. Goals could be your way to succeed in attaining a balance because you would follow a structured routine that will ensure you create clear boundaries.
The goals should be realistic and achievable. Do not push yourself to achieve something that is not in your hands. Your body needs time for adjustments, make sure you give it enough time. Just be consistent with steps to follow your goals and you will see positive results.
You can start by writing down 1-2 short-term goals and 1 long-term goal for each key area of your life.
Stress management
Stress management should be a consistent practice in your life because it will help you to balance your life. Chronic stress could lead to an imbalance in life causing health issues; that is why you need to focus on stress management.
For effective stress management you need to practice:
- Deep breathing exercises
- Meditation
- Journaling
- Spending time with nature
- Playing with pets
- Limit your screen time
- self-care
To effectively manage stress identify triggers and primary sources of stress and try to do at least one activity that you love to relieve stress from your life.
Practice gratitude
Gratitude is a way to positivity. It helps you to recognise the good parts of your life and be thankful for them. When you are focusing on the good part you will have a positive perspective during challenging times.
To start practicing gratitude, you can simply write down three things you’re grateful for each day. This small act of writing down things could influence your lifestyle significantly.
Learn to say no
Learn to say no when you don’t feel like doing it. You don’t want to go to that party, say no. You feel like this dress does not belong to your closet, say no. You think you can’t help your colleague with a piece of work, say no. Say no to anything that does not align with your interests or intuition because that is where you draw the line.
Saying no does not mean you are being selfish or neglecting responsibilities, it simply means that you are choosing to focus on things that matter the most to you.
