Balancing it out

[Image credit: Stuart Miles]

Life is a constant give and take where many of us strive for balance as we navigate our individual journeys. Some might be led by an all-or-nothing mentality, others with moderation as their guide. Personally, I’m on a mission to better balance my overall well-being. While Bikram yoga has been my go-to safe place to nurture my physical and emotional health, as well as share in a sense of community among other yogis, I’ve recently begun exploring additional ways to bring cohesiveness to my everyday life. This may look like time carved out to enjoy a new hobby, practice self-love over a glass of wine and a good book or find solace in prayer or corporate worship. Just like one food cannot provide the nourishment we need to maintain healthy, fruitful lives, we cannot expect to sustain our zest for life if we invest 100 percent of our energies into a single endeavor. It’s about sometimes taking the scenic route.

What different ways do you balance it out?

I am slowly going crazy

[Image credit: Stuart Miles]

There’s an old Raffi tune my daughter and I sang when she was little: I am slowly going crazy, 1-2-3-4-5-6 switch, crazy going slowly am I 6-5-4-3-2-1 switch.  Sometimes I’ll still mutter the song to myself as I flit from one commitment to another.  I’ve said it before — that remaining busy helps keep my mind in the present.  It encourages me to not dwell on lack but focus on plenty.  But if you know me, I typically don’t do anything halfway.  Which means moderation is a challenge.  I’m working on that one by picking and choosing value-added activities, rather than simply filling my days with “stuff.”  This means pursuing interests and relationships that edify and add to, rather than tear down and take away from.  Saying yes to those things that fill the depleted areas in my life and no to the things that aren’t worth my time or energy.  That way, going a little crazy can be a fun thing.

Does your crazy need to be re-evaluated?