Balance can sometimes feel like it is impossible to achieve. Life for most of us is hectic if not totally out of control. Are you one of those people that feels like your time is not your own? Is there a perfect blend of balance in life that we should be striving for or is it different for all of us? I believe that we all have different priorities and therefore need to balance our lives to suit our own unique requirements, but first we need to recognize that our lives are actually out of balance.
Here are 13 signs that your life is out of balance:
You feel your time is 100% controlled by other people and commitments. You have to be at work by 8am, you have to drop the kids at school by 9am, you have to serve dinner by 6pm, it all drives you crazy
Your sleep is restless or broken. You find yourself tossing and turning all night, or waking constantly due to having things on your mind
You resent having to do what other people want – even going to work or caring for family members. The love you once had for an area of your life is dying and you feel like you want to rebel against the things you feel you have no choice to do
There is little, if any time spent doing what you love. You have forgotten what you like to do in your spare time and couldn’t list your hobbies if you tried
Health is deteriorating and you frequently find yourself unwell. You find yourself suffering from similar illnesses over and over again, or you just can’t seem to shake that nasty cold.
It has been more than three months since you went out or visited friends and family. Your friends and family have actually noticed you missing and may have started making comments about your overloaded schedule. You may think they are nagging, but they’re probably genuinely concerned and can see clearly the lack of balance in your life that you may still be oblivious to.
You constantly feel stressed, anxious or worried. You continually worry about what could go wrong and feel overwhelmed with life. Panic attacks could be starting or the onset of depression. A constant tightness in your chest is present.
Your life seems to revolve around one particular area, such as work. You get up, go to work, come home eat and go to bed, if you are lucky you might drown out the day by watching some mind numbing television or downing a glass or two of wine
You don’t want to get out of bed in the morning. You are already late and have hit snooze five times, yet you still can’t seem to force yourself to get up
People are seen as time stealers and you find yourself becoming withdrawn or avoiding them. You avoid conversations with colleagues, friends or family as they are just wasting the small amounts of time you see yourself as having
Physical movement or exercise are virtually non-existent in your life. Your health is deteriorating, your body becoming stiff and rigid from lack of movement. This even further reduces your energy levels.
You find yourself more agitated or unable to control your temper. Small things that you could let slide are now irritating you and you’re finding it difficult to not tell that annoying colleague what you really think of them.
Your work space is cluttered, mirroring your mind. Your mind is out of control and so is your filing – or should it be called piling? People are starting to make comments like “how do you even find anything on there?”
If any of these warning signs are showing up in your life, you need to seriously reconsider your current lifestyle.
Yes your career may be important, but are you willing to pay the price of poor health and loneliness in exchange for it? Spending time with friends and family at the expense of everything else can also be to our detriment. Most of us have a dream within us that we’d love to achieve. Making sure that we allow at least some time for it each week is crucial to keeping the fire burning and feeling happy and fulfilled.
Yesterday our yoga instructor summarized this beautifully. She said “in time you will find your own balance, the combination of strength and flexibility that is right for you. Don’t look at the person next to you, don’t look at the person in front of you, their version of balance will be different to yours. Just work on finding your own balance”.
The terms strength and flexibility can be interchanged with anything, relationships, work, exercise and social time to name a few. We’ve all got areas of our lives that we’re committed to and areas that we know we need to make more time for. Sometimes we get so caught up in one area that we forget there is actually more to life than just that one thing.
Balance is a critical aspect of living a happy and fulfilling life. It is important to remember that it is not a one time fix and it needs to be constantly monitored and adjusted throughout your life to keep you feeling good.
