Finding balance.
I don’t know about you, but this concept of finding balance can be a real challenge. It’s definitely a learning process. It is something that will need tweaked in each season of life. Finding balance needs to happen in all areas of our lives: in eating, sleeping, things we add to our calendar, etc. But you don’t want to go about trying to change all of these things at once. You will want to choose one area of your life that you feel really needs balance.
Today, I am going to talk about finding balance in our schedule/calendar. I don’t know about you, but I have been one to say “YES” to far too many things in my life. There have been a lot of great things I’ve said yes to, but there have been some things that weren’t great as well.
Do you ever say “yes” to things and then you realize, that maybe that wasn’t the best idea? I have done this many times. We are bombarded with so many advertisements and social media information that tell us to say “yes” to things, or look my friend is doing that so I should too. It can become really overwhelming.
I know for myself, when I over commit or say “yes” to things before thinking about them, my schedule gets crazy and I feel out of control. I feel exhausted just thinking about all the things on my calendar, and I tend to feel anxious, stressed, and upset because I said yes to too many things.
I have learned over the last several years, that I need to control my schedule, not to allow my schedule to control me. In doing that I have learned to look at my calendar and see where I can have times of quiet or rest to refuel. I have to have space in my life to think, to rest, and enjoy things I want to do. All of the busy stuff will always be there.
We have the choice to live life at a pace that feels comfortable and relaxed to us, or we can become a slave to the calendar and all the things that life throws at us. The other thing I have realized is, I need to have space for the unexpected things. If I am already scheduled to the max, when unexpected things arise, it pushes me over the edge and I can’t handle it in a calm manner. When hard things arise, no ones needs a frantic person trying to deal with the challenges ahead. The other risk of over scheduling is missing out on the spontaneous joys of life. I’ve lived my life both ways, and I can tell you that it makes my life and everyone’s life around me, much better if I know my limits and schedule accordingly.
So if you are looking for some practical ways to make changes in this area of you life, keep reading.
Practical ways to not over-schedule yourself:
**Ask yourself:
1. Is this important?
2. Will this have a positive or negative impact on my day/week?
3. What’s my intention for doing this? Is this for me or for someone else?
4. Does it distract me from what I need to be focusing on?
5. Is this necessary or will it just increase my stress?
6. Does this align with my values?
7. How much time and energy will this require? What’s the cost to saying “yes?”
(everything has a cost/trade-off)
8. Am I the best person for this task?
**Think about the impact it will have on those around you.
**When considering saying “yes” to something, rate it on a scale from 1-10. If it doesn’t rate at a 9 or 10, you should probably say “no.”
**Mark off hours/days on your calendar that you will not commit to anything?
**Remember you can take time to think about something before committing to it.
**Establish priorities and boundaries.
**If you have to squeeze it in, just say “no.”
If you need help with finding balance in your life in any area, I would love to help you. Please reach out to me at pfhliving@gmail.com
Living a life of balance is part of living a healthy lifestyle.
In health,
Erika