Searching for “Balance”
Welcome to an Olympian’s Perspective on…
How to find and maintain a sense of BALANCE in this highly demanding life.
Writing about how to live a balanced life is like trying to describe what the wind feels like. It’s unique and relative to every person and is constantly changing throughout life.
I can’t tell you what balance looks like in your life. Hell, I can hardly tell you what it looks like in my life! It seems that just as I start to find a rhythm or pattern that’s working for me, something changes the equation and I’m back to wobbling on my feet, searching for the ever evasive “balance”. (Anyone else with me?)
But let’s talk about some of the ways I have allowed myself to invite balance into my life, in a way that may help you to invite more balance into yours.
1) I define what balance means to me. At different times in my life, living a balanced life has resulted in very different behaviours and lifestyles, and that is OK- in fact, it’s normal! There is not one definition that fits everyone at all times of their life, but there is a definition that fits you in whatever season of life you are in right now. The first step in owning your own balance is identifying what it means to you, right now. My trick for this, is asking myself “how would I know if my life was balanced?”, and building off of this answer.
2) I recognize that balance does NOT mean having or doing it all (sorry!). Be specific but also be realistic. If creating balance in your life is something you are truly committed to doing, I want you to set yourself up for success! This means being really clear and honest about what aspects of your life are truly important to you right now, and what areas you are committed to putting your energy into. There are only so many hours in a day and more importantly, you only have so much energy to give. You cannot do it all.
I find that visualizing and categorizing my energy into different focus areas (I imagine them as buckets), helps me keep track of where I’m giving my energy and allows me to clearly check-in with myself when I feel off balanced.
Your energy buckets can be labelled whatever makes sense to you (ex: career, finances, personal growth, physical and mental health, relationships, and recreation); as long as they are clearly defined to you, they will help you monitor the ebb and flow of your energy.
Other areas that are a little more specific, but also can be beneficial focuses for people can include: life purpose, rest and sleep, nutrition, romance and intimate relationships, emotional health, community involvement etc.
Or it can be as simple as having focus areas such as: self, mom, wife, entrepreneur and friend.
There is no right or wrong way of categorizing your focus areas. What’s important is that you truthfully decide upon the areas in your life that are relevant to you. The lists above are simply some options that may be helpful and I often find that the buckets I prioritize change as I go through life.
3) I remind myself that how I spend my time- and more importantly, my ENERGY- between the areas I list is up to me! To feel balanced, it means you are giving each area the attention that it needs. And that means it’s OK for some areas to receive more of your attention than others do. It’s what works for you, and will most likely will change often! Which brings me to my final two points:
4) I have the courage to listen to my body. As an athlete, this is drilled into us for many reasons: our body will tell us when we’re in pain, overtraining, anxious, or agile and ready to compete... the list goes on. Our bodies are smart! Pay attention to the experiences within your body: nerves, breathing, tension, anxiety, guilt, joy, fatigue, bursts of energy, etc- because that is your body trying to communicate something important to you.
Your body is trying it’s hardest to help you feel balanced, but it can only do so much if you are not willing to listen, trust and act upon what it’s telling you.
5) Be adaptable and be kind to yourself. Rather than viewing balance as a static substance that you’re working to obtain, set yourself up for success by recognizing that balance in your life, just like every other aspect, is constantly growing and evolving. While the framework of focus areas may stay relatively the same for long periods of time, how you divvy your time and energy up between your areas can and will change. Constantly. Be kind to yourself. You are not perfect and you never will be (sorry to be a buzz kill).
Embrace the imperfections in your pursuit to feel balanced, celebrate the moments when you feel as though you’ve obtained it, learn from the moments when you fall short, and just keep trucking along!