Image © Jose Manuel Gelpi Diaz Dreamstime.com

Not everyone knows the importance of balancing their tires. I never used to know… as long as the car ran, no flat tires and it didn’t feel too bouncy while driving I assumed all was well! I realized a few years back that my life had pretty much ran the same way. I was running around between personal and professional responsibilities and did not put too much thought into the balance or lack thereof in my life. Similar to our car tires, we often don’t think about the wear and tear we are putting on ourselves both emotionally and physically as we drive through life.

Like car maintenance, especially tires, how well we maintain ourselves via health check ups, taking care of our body and our mental well being, some of us may get worn out sooner then others. Bad tires that have been worn down and have no tread left can be replaced, however our physical and emotional well being is not easily replaced! It’s also important to keep in mind that just like driving on bad tires can cause a car accident, running your body past the normal wear and tear can cause both mental and physical illness.

When I hit burn out emotionally, physically and mentally I knew it was time for some changes. My body and my mind were not operating at their optimal potential. In a previous post I mentioned the importance of understanding who you are at your core. What drives you is what is your passion and that is at the core of our being. I realized if I determined what is at my core, I could then use that point of reference as my balancing point. I learned that when I was frazzled, stressed out, overly emotional or physically ill, if I stopped and reflected I saw that I was not living by my core values.

I began to realize that my life was happening at warp speed and that left me many times out of balance. I had to learn not just to slow down, but to learn how to live intentionally. By living intentionally I mean being grounded enough to pause many times through out my day and consciously see and feel what was happening both around me and within me. When I can pause and observe the people around me, the things around me and my own feelings I can maintain my balance. At those moments my emotions, the tasks I’m faced with and others expectations are all put in perspective. I can just breathe slowly and live in the moment as it is. I stop myself from thinking about what has already happened, what may happen later or what I think I need to have happen.

I am certainly not discounting schedules, goal setting or establishing priorities, as all those things are an integral part of making my life work most effectively. I simply know from my own experience that there is a balance point needed first. Following that, my simple, tried and true tips are this; set boundaries with yourself and others, move on and come back to things that end up being far too time consuming for a balanced schedule, when you begin to get frustrated with a task or project take a break, when using an organized schedule be sure that it includes regular day to day activities and always schedule play time- especially those needed times for the personal relationships in your life! And don’t forget to get your tires checked and balanced on occasion!