I was feeling great 2 weeks ago, enjoying life, feeling balanced, anticipating completion of a new project. Then this week it all came crashing down on me. I’m tired, not sleeping well, feeling ‘driven’ and overwhelmed by my self-imposed workload, anxious,irritated by small things and constantly being apologetic to people(my daughter pointed that one out). What happened to that ‘inner life-balance’ and the corresponding feeling of well-being I so enjoyed?
I have been through this cycle many times before and I am much better at pulling myself up and re-balancing myself, but it is never an easy or comfortable experience.
It seems to me that human experience is full of highs and lows and even the most well- adjusted person will occasionally lose their sense of life-balance and well-being. The old saying, ‘No man (or woman) is an island’ is a profound truth of our human existence. We are all subject to a broad and complex range of factors that are unpredictable and can throw us off balance without warning. Be it a significant crisis or a small change to some aspect of your life, falling off balance is easy to do.
The question is, how long does it take you to recognize the signs that you are ‘out of balance’? Are you aware of what happens to your behaviour or does it take someone else to point out the obvious?
Here is a simple exercise that will help you to become more aware of who you are when you are imbalanced in contrast to who you are when you are feeling more balanced.
Ask yourself what happens when I lose my balance? Write it down.
Here is my list. You may share some of these or your list might look entirely different.
When I lose my balance I :
– am more introspective
– am more emotionally reactive to people
– am easily irritated
– forget things.
– become overly task- driven
– experience headaches
– am apologetic to people when I have no need to be
– eat more chocolate
– am tired all the time
Now brainstorm what you are doing and how you are behaving when you have a strong sense of well being.
My list has the following on it:
– people focused
– energized by my work
– walking every day
– daily time of meditation
– spending quality time with friends
– adequate sleep
– reading a good novel
– doing something ‘creative’ in my ‘down time’
– feeling relaxed
Getting the balance back in your life is about doing more of the things that nurture and energize your spirit (list B)and doing less of the things that are absorbing too much of your time and energy(list A).
As you compare your 2 lists what do you notice? What is happening to you when you are feeling out of balance? What is on your list B that your neglect to do when you are feeling out of balance? What can you do today to rebalance yourself and restore your personal sense of well being? Contact Colleen on 0434 337 245 or Duncan on 0434 331 243 for a FREE 10 minute consultation on how we can best help you or book online now.
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