November 13, 2023
Whether we know it or not, we all seek balance in our lives.
Balancing out our screen time with outdoor/nature time, work time with hobbies, solitude with socialising. We're balancing focus on serious stuff with fun and lightness, physical activity with rest, and even balancing our nutrient intake so our body can thrive.
We may not be conscious of our need for balance, but we all need it. Our life depends on it, in fact.
If our body didn’t keep a fine balance in so many of our systems, we would feel unwell…or no longer be alive.
And as much as balance is a necessity in our physical sense, I believe it’s a necessity in the non-physical sense too.
You can tell when things in your life are out of balance, because you feel discontent. You may feel stressed and overstretched, or depressed and unmotivated (two sides of the spectrum!).
When in balance, you’d have a good amount of both activation and relaxation energy, but none in the extreme.
Speaking of extremes, I do love the analogy of a pendulum to describe my understanding of balance. I see balance as a dynamic, not a static phenomenon.
If either side of the swing represents one of the extremes (stress/overactivation vs. complete inactivity) then balance is this central point where the pendulum eventually settles.
And if we want to regain our sense of balance, we may have to swing all the way to the other side compared to where we're at now, to then settle in the middle.
In neither of the extremes can we enjoy life to the fullest, but we need the energy of each to balance out our life. Too much rest and inactivity can get boring, and underuse our potential. Whereas too much activity and stress can burn us out.
So how can you do this proactively, consciously, to keep well before it gets extreme?
Notice which side of the balance spectrum you’ve been in recently, in any area of your life. And if it’s been far out from the centre, make it a point to swing far onto the other side for a while.
The more in tune we are with our system and where it is on this balance spectrum, the more able we are to keep the balance intact, and like our bodies, we can thrive.
Let me know what your sense of balance is right now, and what resonated with you in this post.
Mojca
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