We all have our own ideas and practices on how to live a balanced life, with some being similar and others being completely different! What I’ve noticed in my practice is that almost all of my clients will achieve balance in certain areas of their life, but never in all.
People are working harder and far longer hours than before the covid global pandemic hit, this could be trying to catch up for lost business and finances or to make sure they have a nest egg if this happens again. Loadshedding is definitely not helping either as many people are having to catch up on work when we have electricity back ‘on’.
Research has shown that 45% of our population is not sleeping well since the pandemic started. Binge drinking and addictions have increased, Anxiety and Burnout have increased, and Suicide is higher than ever. In the madness of trying to recoup what we have lost and find a sense of stability and safety, we have absolutely have to focus on balance for our whole being.
I used to think that balance had to be something I consistently did every single day, but then real life would happen and I would end up having to work a little bit longer, or I did not eat the right foods or get in the exercise that I had wanted to for that day. It would leave me feeling terrible and I would beat myself up about not being able to achieve this balance I so clearly needed. I have now realised that every small step I take, makes a difference. If I am only able get out to the park to walk with my dogs 3 times a week then that is just what it is, I balance the other days with meditating when I can and prepping booster bowls or connecting to my body in small moments by being present when I’m breathing. If I can do what makes me happy in a day and miss some of the other stuff for that day, I’m still doing something. When we feel bad about lacking in any area of our life, we often form a mental block about it and give up trying. These behaviours become habits and they then become entrenched pathways in your brain which are then routines.
There are so many small things we can do to help balance our lives each day which require limited effort and time.
Prepping and even freezing healthy smoothies to grab on your way to work.
If you are stuck at your desk – take moments to connect to your body: check your posture, drop your shoulders and feel all of the muscles from your neck down to your lower back, relax then carry on with your day.
Look out of a window – find 5 things that you can focus on in the distance – connect with nature – give your eyes a break from looking at your screen or phone.
If you can get outside and walk barefoot on the earth, you will feel energised – if enough CEO’s did this while dressed in their suits, the rest of the staff could join in and not feel crazy.
Use a trigger to remind you to breathe – every time I see a red robot, I take a breath and feel it going into my body, breathe all the way down to your stomach, and breathe all the stale air out.
Feel your whole body – how are you positioned, is it warm or cold, are you wearing shoes or sandals, can you smell anything, what can you hear – feel in your body – this helps your mind to quieten down and brings you into awareness of your body and senses.
