Throughout human history, the goal has been to achieve a balance in life. This concept has meant different things at different points in time, but broadly speaking it refers to achieving a sense of optimum physical and mental health, stable social and environmental aspects and also finding equilibrium in your spiritual and emotional life.
What Is A Balanced Life?
The word “balance” comes from the Greek root that means “having two scale pans.” The idea of balance is highly subjective, and it differs with age, social, economic, physical, emotional, geographic, cultural and other factors.
For the majority of people who think about balance, achieving certain goals is an important factor. Reaching a desired point in your career, achieving a particular social and financial status, emotional happiness and satisfaction could lie within the parameters of leading a balanced life.
It means a state of fulfillment and satisfaction in the major areas of life, with little or no negative impact on other areas of life.
A balanced life could also be one that is pleasant, keeps you mentally and physically engaged, and gives you a sense of meaning and purpose in life. Some observers opine that a balanced life is one that is free of stress and anxiety, where you maintain good relationships at work and your social circle, you are self-aware and know how to take care of yourself and others.
Certain points must be kept in mind while assessing whether your own life is balanced or not, and where you need to tweak it to achieve this goal. We all exist and function in different areas such as work, family, friendships, community or our own personal wellness and sense of self worth. Apart from these, you also need to examine the degree of involvement you have invested in each of these areas and whether you are focusing on any one area to the detriment of others. Another factor is effectiveness, and you can evaluate how effective or competent you are in each domain. You should also look at the emotional aspect of these areas of your life, and which one gives you positive or negative feelings and why. Finally, it’s important to check how well each of these areas aligns with the other and also with your own personal ethics and values.
Once you understand the concept of balance, you can take the necessary steps to achieve it by using yoga, relaxation and breathing techniques to help you with your own self care. Check the Rest and Digest health and wellness website for more information on wellbeing tools and resources to help look after yourself.
Yoga Poses, Relaxation Techniques and Self Care Routines: A Three-Pronged Strategy
The main issue that affects your sense of balance in life is stress. Occasional, event based stress can be beneficial as it spurs you to put in more effort and focuses your mind on the problem at hand. However, chronic stress is harmful and can seriously impact your physical and mental well-being.
Prolonged stress leads to physical issues such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes, digestive disorders, cardiac issues, skin disorders, weight gain or loss, hair loss and more. The emotional and mental effects of long-term stress include sleep disturbances, sexual dysfunction, anxiety, irritability, inability to focus, memory problems, mood swings, relationship problems, depression, lack of motivation and several other such problems.
Using Yoga To Achieve a Balanced Life: Yoga is one of the most effective ways to reduce both physical and mental stress. Regular practice ensures discipline and the security of having a fixed routine. Yoga techniques help to build self awareness, mindfulness, calmness and positive habits. When the body is relaxed, flexible and free from pain, the mind automatically shifts gears and becomes less tense.
You can apply many of the principles of yoga in your daily life and learn to recognize the symptoms of impending stressful situations. Techniques such as breathing, stretching or meditation are highly beneficial in such cases.
In the long run, yoga helps you to achieve a sense of clarity, purpose and gratitude, along with greater compassion, patience and emotional strength.
Relaxation For A Balanced Life: The main component of stress is the Fight or Flight response in humans. This reaction creates a plethora of physical, chemical, hormonal and mental responses triggered by the sympathetic nervous system whenever a real or perceived threat is detected. It is important to identify these signs and recognize them so that you can assess whether you need them to continue for a long time or not.
Once the “danger” has passed, the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in, resulting in the Rest and Digest response. It reverses the effects of the stress response, and allows the body to resume balance, stability and equilibrium. Deep breathing, going for a walk, prioritization and organization, time management and social connections can help you to unwind.
Discover your own unique methods of relaxation along with regular ones such as exercise, warm showers, spending time in Nature, listening to music, taking up a hobby or journaling. You can use different techniques for different situations, but the main thing is to identify, locate and understand your stress before you can relax and get your life back into balance.
Self Care For A Balanced Life : Burnout is a real and present danger that happens as a result of prolonged stress. This is especially true in situations where you lead a hectic life, have the responsibility to care for kids or seniors, are on a high speed career path or in the midst of relationship issues. You may put your own physical, emotional, spiritual, social and environmental needs on the back burner and then forget all about them. Self care doesn’t mean selfishness or self indulgence. It is not a luxury, but a necessity that helps you to achieve greater balance in your life. You learn to prioritize tasks, set boundaries, get more organized, declutter your living and working spaces, take up activities that emotionally and mentally interest you and find the optimum ways to process your emotions.
