There is so much to say about general well-being but for this article we are looking at balance. Without balance we fall over - both physically and mentally.
You can sustain a life out of kilter for quite some time - we get quite adept at managing or hiding things - but at some point it'll catch up with you and you realise that something isn't working any more.
The effects of realigning the different aspects of your life can have all sorts of positive outcomes, depending on just how much you needed it! There are extremes and most of us will fall somewhere along the line of being too busy or not busy enough. The various factors along this 'busy' line are the areas we need to look at to balance the books.
A PRACTICAL EXCERCISE
Get a big piece of paper and draw you in the middle (a stick person will do!). Then create a series of squares all around you with a variety of headings that you need to consider. These could be: sleep, diet, exercise, work, social life, hobbies, family, friends, relaxation. Add a square for every part of your life that represents you. These are different for everyone but this list is a good place to start.
You can do this exercise quickly or over a few days - whatever you feel you need. Some of us are more measured and like to think carefully before committing things to paper. You may know exactly what to write down and can dash this off pretty quickly. There is no right and wrong way, it's purely an exercise to get you to focus on the facets of your daily life. Most of us don't do this very often, if ever. You can do this exercise alone or with a partner or friend.
Think about each 'life square' independently of the others. Take sleep for example. List 1-3 things you do well, 1-3 things you could improve and 1-3 things you want to achieve. It might be look something like this:
SLEEP
What do I do well?
My bed is really comfortable. I am always nicely tired and ready to sleep.
What could I improve?
My bedtimes are inconsistent; often too late. I check my phone in the night which keeps me awake. I have difficulty getting to sleep even though I am tired.
What do I want to achieve?
A refreshed feeling on waking with enough sleep for a good day ahead.
Once you have tackled the highs and lows of your sleep habits you can work out what needs to change. If you are like our example above it would be useful to:
Set bedtimes and stick to them (within 30 minutes either way).
Turn your phone off in the night - or if this isn't practical, put it on the other side of the room.
Try a meditation app, there are plenty that are free and, whilst it may feel odd at first, they are very good at winding down your brain activity and helping you to switch off.
Learn the art of focused breathing - slowing down your breath and concentrating on just that alone is a great way to still your thoughts and prepare you for sleep.
Alternatively you could try a brand new bedtime routine with less screen-time before bed (that's not just a good rule for kids!).
Generally opt for less stimulation at least half an hour before bedtime. Do mundane, useful things - tidy up, prepare for the following day and switch off.
To feel good when you wake, experiment with different waking times. Again there are apps that will wake you when you are in a light sleep - it's quite uncanny but it's a really nice way to wake. More sleep isn't necessarily the answer, it's about the right sleep at the right time that suits you.
This is just a brief example of the sleep aspect. Apply this to every part of your life until you have a good picture in front of you. You probably already have a good idea of where you are out of balance but it is really useful to assess it like this. It also gives you something to refer back to so you can measure your changes and successes.
Don't feel you have to tackle everything at once. If you have a really hectic lifestyle you may be more successful at making a series of small changes. You could make a series of tiny tweaks across all of your life squares. Master those changes and then make some more. Or you might prefer to tackle it one square at a time. Make it fun. It's always quite interesting to outline your life in this kind of bullet point form - you can look at the key headlines instead of feeling overwhelmed by everything all together.
There are many ways of tackling your general well-being and getting some sort of balance is just one. Talk to friends, family, colleagues or a professional like me if you feel unable to manage your well-being, there's very little that's more important.
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