Finding A Healthy Balance
The phrase “finding healthy balance” is an enigma in itself, isn’t in? Without a doubt, I’ve had a life-long journey with that very thought and it's still a struggle for me to achieve. Even recently, I sought out the help of a health coach to assist me with this very thing: how to achieve an equilibrium in my life. (See: even practitioners need help)!
I find this year to be HEAVY. The weight distribution is off and I go in waves of feeling bogged down in one area of my life vs. another. That undulation is normal of course, due to how busy we are or what we are inundated with. Work. Life. Drink water. Relationships. The outside world. Politics. Global warming. Meditation practice. Health. EATING HABITS. Dog. Exercise. Sleep. Screen time. Football. Love Island…… And the list goes on. How do we get it all in without going crazy? I admit that look into my mental jungle gym isn’t pretty, not for any reason other than to show you out there that no one is perfect. Our plates are full and some days there are just not enough hours.
Here are a few life hacks I’ve learned through my work with a health coach or colleagues that I find incredibly valuable in helping me find some sort of homeostasis:
Attach something easy to another activity. (What the heck does that mean??) One of my constant nagging issues is the inability to keep up with a correct amount of water intake throughout the day. So my health coach recommended I try drinking a glass of water with getting up in the morning, feeding my dog, and going to the bathroom. All actions that I do on a daily basis, so why not attach another action to it.
Ask my husband, but my CRUX in life is falling asleep on the couch at night. I hate to admit I have this horrible, unhealthy bad habit, but c’est la vie, it's true. I get all cozy and snuggled up with a blanket on our couch and it’s like quicksand. I get sucked in and don’t get up for hours. SO: may I introduce to you, the bedtime alarm on the iphone! I had never used this feature before, but it goes off every night at 10:15 PM to remind me that I need to get up and put myself in my bed (like a child) so I don’t wake up at 2 AM in the same spot.
Meditation. This is something I’ve struggled to find time for. But with the 2020 angst, I’ve realized how much positivity and calm it adds to my life. We did a meditation “challenge” with everyone in the office and I have to say, it’s made a huge difference. I’ve started to schedule in time (on my weekly planner) to do a 5 or 10 minute guided meditation, 4 days a week. Occasionally I’ll throw in a longer one and flex my focusing skills like Karen was talking about last week. :) The takeaway is, block out time on your schedule for something you want to make a priority, just like you would a meeting with your boss. That way you don’t gip yourself!
We worked to reframe my reference for what consists of “exercise.” My coach was shocked that I didn’t count 2-4 miles of walks everyday with my pup as exercise. I just thought of it as a part of my daily routine. I get down on myself if I don’t have the energy to do a bout of strenuous exercise, but she reminded me that I’m doing well over the recommended amount (30 mins of walking a day) to maintain a healthy heart…. Which still counts as exercise!! So even if I skip a day of vigorous exercise, I’ve still moved and benefited my body! I learned that a different point of view can bring a lot of clarity to a certain aspect of life.
These are just a few examples of how I’ve personally tried to maximize my balance everyday. To get good sleep, enough water, and some down/ relaxing time and move my body every, single, day. Of course it's not perfect, but one of my personal affirmations is “progress over perfection.” What are the ways that you achieve balance? Do you set yourself reminders to get things done or work off of a fully scheduled day/ week? I can’t
