I get asked this question often, especially when facilitating retreats.
As someone who often tries to take on more projects than I can handle, I know what it’s like to juggle many responsibilities. Keeping up with work, family and self-care often feels like a never-ending rat race.
Balance obviously means something different to everyone, yet most of us are seeking it in some way or another. When we’re stressed and overwhelmed, finding balance seems like the ultimate answer to our problems.
So what does it mean to lead a well-balanced life and why does balance feel like an elusive concept?
What I have learnt over the years is that balance is not something we can get; it’s actually a state of mind. It’s the realisation that life is not stable but in constant motion.
Balance is about finding harmony in our internal world so we can more easily juggle the many balls in the air.
It’s no secret that most of us are feeling stressed and overwhelmed by the contant juggle. We feel like we never have enough time to get everything done, and we’re constantly chasing after something that seems just out of reach. We crave more balance in our lives, but how do we find it amongst the contant juggle?
The first step to finding balance is to look within. When we’re feeling out of balance, it’s often because we’ve lost touch with our own needs and wants. We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life that we often look outside of ourselves to find the balance we crave. It’s important to take some time each day to connect with your inner self. This can be done through a mindfulness practice like meditation, journaling, or simply taking a few deep breaths and asking yourself with kindness and compassion what it is that you need right now.
The second step is to get in touch with our masculine and feminine energy and know when one or the other is out of balance. In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to get caught up in the masculine energy of doing and achieving. This can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety. It’s important to also nurture the feminine energy of being and receiving. This can be done by taking time for yourself, spending time in nature, or doing something that brings you joy. Everything in life contains both feminine and masculine energy. In order to find balance, we must learn to embrace both energies and notice when either are out of balance.
Personally, I’ve found the balance of doing and being a hard one to strike. We live in a world that values doing and achieving above all else, and I have wrapped a lot of my self worth around being a doer. But I also know that it can come at a cost to my health if I don’t balance out the doing with being.
I realised that prioritising being amidst all the doing is a critical part of creating a balanced, healthy life. Not just on weekends or holildays, but every single day.
Mindfulness meditation is the most effective practice I’ve found to help me shift out of doing and relax into being. I’m reminded that it’s okay to allow things to unfold, instead of always directing or controlling them. I’m able to hear my intuitive voice beneath my monkey mind chatter. I’m also more connected to my body and its signals. When I feel stressed or overwhelmed, that’s my body’s way of telling me that I’m more in my masculine and that life is out of balance. I know I need to slow down and connect more to my feminine. Now, I choose to pause and meditate (even for just a few minutes) instead of pushing through no matter what, and I feel the benefits immediately.
The third step is to acknowledge and honour the seasons of life. Just as the world goes through seasons, so do we. There are times when life is full of activity and movement, and there are also times when things are more quiet and still. It’s important to respect both the highs and lows, and to find balance within them. As winter approaches, it’s the perfect time to retreat inwards, to rest, reflect and allow ourselves time to renew our overall sense of wellbeing.
By attuning ourselves to the natural rhythms of the earth and finding balance between the masculine and feminine energies within us, we can begin to find a sense of harmony in our lives. When we are able to find this balance, we can start to live more authentically and with purpose. We can also begin to let go of the things that no longer serve us, making juggling less balls much more effortless and allowing space for more joy and ease into our lives.
So, the next time you’re feeling out of balance, take a moment to connect with yourself, your own masculine and feminine energies and become more aware of the season you’re in. By doing so, you just might find the secret to finding more balance in your own life.
I hope this blog post has inspired you to start your own journey towards finding greater balance from within.
