Life - The Ultimate Balancing Act

What does balance mean to you and when was the last time that you felt balanced? Balance means a few things to me, but to name a few - feeling at peace, feeling like I can breathe and feeling like the puzzle pieces of life are coming together.

I cannot remember the last time that I felt balanced, whether looking at my life holistically or taking it apart. I feel that almost every aspect of my life needs attention or fine tuning. I sometimes feel that I am a bad wife, friend, employee and everything in between. Feeling like I don't have control over something in my life is new to me. It is a new challenge and something that I would like to change. I sometimes feel so alone in this battle, however, the more people I talk to, the more I see that am I not alone in this. Instead of complaining and feeling overwhelmed about the lack of balance in my life, I have decided to tackle this head on. The question I need to ask myself is how do I help find balance in my life? I posted the below quote on my Instagram Page this week as I grappled with my internal storm.

The first step that I have taken the last few days has been reflection and meditation. I have been reflecting on where I can find balance and how I can regulate my life. I seldom have time to myself, so I have decided to use those precious minutes that I have to myself alone in my car. I have never wasted those minutes (previously using them for phone calls or voice notes), but have decided to rather use them for some 'me time'. On the way to work, I mentally prepare myself for the day ahead and find peace within myself. On the way home from work, I reflect on my working day.

In the busy lives that we live, it is vitally important for us to remember to take time for ourselves. I would love to find the time to exercise. Exercise means something different to me. I would love to go for a walk at the end of the day and spend some time outside. I would cherish being able to look up at the sky, breathe in the fresh air, have the sun on my skin and hear the birds chirp. I would also like to start practising yoga which directly taps into both meditation and exercise.

I would like to spend more time doing the things that I love and spending quality time with the people that I love. In our daily rush, Damian and I don't often sit and enjoy a meal together where we can enjoy our food and share how our respective days unfolded. I would like to change this and also on the odd occasion sip on a glass of semi-sweet rose (my favourite wine). This is still a trial period and I am sure that I will have many successes and failures in this daily struggle. Today, however, I cooked us a roast chicken with roast vegetables. It's the small things that count to me and I will cherish the small wins.

Our priorities and ourselves are often pushed aside as we try to be our own version of 'perfect'. Do you know what I think? Screw perfect! It's all a facade anyway. Bad days happen and life gets messy. The best that anyone of us can do is try to master the whirlwind within and choose happiness.