PRINCIPLES OF LIFE - PART 5 OF 5

This week is part 5 of our series on the principles of life.  They are …. breath, water, nutrition, exercise, life balance (stress managment).  Great health requires attention to each of these elements on a daily basis.

Life balance or stress management is just as important a part of our health as any of the others.  Like so many of you, I work hard, very hard.  Running a business, raising 3 active children, nurturing a healthy marriage and maintaining my health is an incredible balancing act.  Sometimes, the scale tips too far in one direction.  This is life, but as long as you have the systems in place to firstly recognize this and then second, to make sure it doesn’t stay there for too long, you can maintain an overall balance in your life.

I love the story about filling a jar with rocks, then stones, then sand.  Being clear and laser focussed on what are the rocks, what are the stones and what is the sand is critical to life balance.  Take care of the rock stuff first.  For me, it’s family, health and business.  I only allow the sand to take my attention when everything else has been tended to.   Because my rocks can take up all of my time, I need to intentionally make time for fun and relaxation.  If I don’t, life will fall out of balance.  When you know what your rocks, stones and sand stuff is, decisions and choices become easy.  It like having a vision and mission statement for your business.  They drive all of your decisions.  Your personal life is like this too.

I have learned not to try to do everything and to let some things go (ie:  my house will not be perfect, as long as the laundry is clean, it’s ok if it’s not folded a put away).  Daily meditation and deep breathing are critical to keeping my priorities straight and my attention laser focussed on what’s important.

Systems are an important part of helping to manage life balance.  Having systems set up will help to keep you on track and not let things creep up on you.  They help you keep your priorities in order and give you something to fall back on when you get off track.

Quotes such as “don’t sweat the small stuff”,  “the sky won’t fall”, and remembering to give daily gratitude for all of the wonderful things in life can also help in the moment.  Whenever I get overwhelmed with life, I stop, give gratitude for anything and everything that comes to mind.  I then remind myself that “the sky won’t fall”, I take a deep breath, step back a moment and start to figure things out one step at a time.

Keeping stress at bay will profoundly help keep you healthy.  99% of all doctors visits are stress related.  Many sicknesses, ailments and diseases are connected to stress.  Chronic stress will wear down your immune system making it hard for your body to fight viruses and will increase acidity in your body which is also a feeding ground for disease.  Make the time and take the time to learn how to balance your life, take care of the most important things and people in your life which includes YOU!

I hope these tips can help you find and maintain balance in your life.