B A L A N C E is NOT one size fits all – it’s a journey for each of us and a conversation between us and our inner guidance system. I’ve gone through so many stages on my journey to finding balance and I felt the need to say something because I think some mixed messages about balance are confusing and misleading. I used to eat fast food every once in a while when I was in college because I thought that was “balanced” and even more recently I would treat myself to a vegan, gluten free cookie whenever I desired because I’d say “hey – balance.” What I’ve come to learn is that balance is NOT about supporting an institution I don’t believe in (fast food companies) or feeding myself toxic substances (processed, refined foods) – balance is about LOVING my body whatever shape it is and putting in it only things that I know will nourish it. Balance is never about poisoning my body because “F it! It’s Friday!” so let me eat that food regardless of what it’s doing to my body. For ME, balance is not about having the occasional sugary treat – I have learned that I can not handle it. I don’t feel balanced when I consume sugar, I become an addict and crave more and more and more.
Balance is about knowing myself.
I’m in no way trying to shame anyone who has a different version of balance – please I’ve been there, too! I’ve eaten the cheeseburger with a milkshake and treated myself to ice cream in the name of balance for years before I came to where I’m at today and I don’t regret a minute of it! It was all part of my path to where I am today.
It’s okay to be wherever you are because balance is not one size fits all – balance is finding what works for you right now and loving yourself where you’re at while being willing to see how that evolves.
Don’t listen to what works for me or anyone else when it comes to defining balance for yourself! Go inside, check in with your body, surrender your pre-conceived notions and ask what balance looks like for you!
Some thoughts for you ponder on your quest to define your own balance..
Maybe right now balance feels like being able to have that cheeseburger and fries when you crave it. So be it! Perhaps for you balance is NOT having that cheeseburger and fries because of how awful you feel afterwards. Only YOU truly know what’s going on with you and where you’re at right now.
Is balance getting 8 hours of sleep or is balance getting 5 hours of sleep during the week and then sleeping in on the weekends? For me, it’s somewhere in between. I do my best to get as much sleep during the week but really look forward to decadently relaxing weekends.
For me balance has A L O T do with alone time. I get the energy sucked right out of me if I’m spending too much time at social gatherings during the week. I need ample time to recharge my energy supplies or I feel completely depleted. This is a relatively recent development for me because I used to be someone that loved being around people all the time and was petrified of alone time. It’s only now that I truly love myself and my own company that I feel very restored by my alone time.
When does exercise feel GOOD and when does exercise feel like punishment? This was another part of my finding balance. I started moving when my body felt like it and stopped pushing it to the point of exhaustion because I thought that’s what I should do. My body likes to try different things, new classes, it loves cardio and yoga but it doesn’t like schedules or feeling like it *has* to do anything. Where do you find your balance when exercising?
The biggest tool for me in finding my balance and in enriching the dialogue between me and my highest self (or inner guidance) has been my meditation. Take some time now or later tonight to sit in stillness, put on a guided meditation or just some relaxing music and spend some time in meditation on the subject. Bring the thought of balance to your meditation and then release it. After your meditation is up (10-20 minutes ideally) then journal for a few minutes on what balance is to you. See what your higher self says to you and lovingly adjust accordingly.