Reaching a balance in your day to day life is a learning process. You know you have a lot of responsibilities and different people in your life require different attention and you can't forget about taking care of yourself as well. Here are some suggestions to help you find and keep your balance.
Build Healthy Self-Esteem
Having self esteem is not only about seeing your good qualities. It is being able to see both your abilities and weaknesses together, accepting them and being content within yourself. Remember that all of us have our positive and negative sides. We let our strengths shine, and we build on our weak points to help us mature and grow. The current weaknesses you have now will not be with you later because these shouldn't be considered permanent defaults. View these characteristics as something to be learned and improved. (Good thing to say at a job interview too.)
It's Okay to Receive as well as Give
We may often confuse having a realistic view of our good traits with conceit. We have trouble accepting kindness from others. We put ourselves down when receiving a compliment; instead of simply saying thank you, we shrug it off with a "Yes, but..." It's okay to accept a compliment and not feel like you have excessive pride in yourself.
Make Friends Who Count
Friends are there to help you understand that you are not alone in this world. Remove the toxic people in your life if they are not there to help you and encourage you to grow. You will spend a lot of time with friends, make sure they are worth your time and you theirs.
Prioritize
This has been talked about over and over again but it is an important topic to cover, especially when talking about creating a balanced life. Our challenge is knowing the difference between our real needs and our wants or between what is most important in our lives and what we could live without. Write a list, in order of importance and work your way down.
Feel Fulfillment
Getting involved in things that really matter to you can provide great feelings of purpose, satisfaction and fulfillment. Try to make a difference anywhere you go, no matter how big or small your efforts.
Manage Stress
Stress is an inevitable part of life. How you handle stress will depend on your attitude. Focus on the good, plan your day and remember to stay calm.
Takle Change
There will always be challenges in our lives and change is all part of the process of growing up. Whether this change was unexpected or purposely planned, change is a good thing as long as you take it as an opportunity to develop as individuals.
Control Your Emotions
We are all encouraged to find safe and constructive ways to express our feelings of sadness, anger, or happiness. How you experience and express your emotions are going to be unique to you. Control your emotions when you're put in different scenarios, you know you will have personal time to cry or complain but try to stay composed, especially in professional environments. You know the saying leave your worries at the door?
Spend Quality Time with Yourself
Have a spirituality to call your own; learn to be at peace with yourself. Get to know who you are: what makes you really happy, what you are really passionate about. Learn to balance what you are able to change about yourself with what you cannot change. Trust your inner self. Set aside time to be totally alone and do something you absolutely love to do.
Photograph by Lexia Frank
Build Healthy Self-Esteem
Having self esteem is not only about seeing your good qualities. It is being able to see both your abilities and weaknesses together, accepting them and being content within yourself. Remember that all of us have our positive and negative sides. We let our strengths shine, and we build on our weak points to help us mature and grow. The current weaknesses you have now will not be with you later because these shouldn't be considered permanent defaults. View these characteristics as something to be learned and improved. (Good thing to say at a job interview too.)
It's Okay to Receive as well as Give
We may often confuse having a realistic view of our good traits with conceit. We have trouble accepting kindness from others. We put ourselves down when receiving a compliment; instead of simply saying thank you, we shrug it off with a "Yes, but..." It's okay to accept a compliment and not feel like you have excessive pride in yourself.
Make Friends Who Count
Friends are there to help you understand that you are not alone in this world. Remove the toxic people in your life if they are not there to help you and encourage you to grow. You will spend a lot of time with friends, make sure they are worth your time and you theirs.
Prioritize
This has been talked about over and over again but it is an important topic to cover, especially when talking about creating a balanced life. Our challenge is knowing the difference between our real needs and our wants or between what is most important in our lives and what we could live without. Write a list, in order of importance and work your way down.
Feel Fulfillment
Getting involved in things that really matter to you can provide great feelings of purpose, satisfaction and fulfillment. Try to make a difference anywhere you go, no matter how big or small your efforts.
Manage Stress
Stress is an inevitable part of life. How you handle stress will depend on your attitude. Focus on the good, plan your day and remember to stay calm.
Takle Change
There will always be challenges in our lives and change is all part of the process of growing up. Whether this change was unexpected or purposely planned, change is a good thing as long as you take it as an opportunity to develop as individuals.
Control Your Emotions
We are all encouraged to find safe and constructive ways to express our feelings of sadness, anger, or happiness. How you experience and express your emotions are going to be unique to you. Control your emotions when you're put in different scenarios, you know you will have personal time to cry or complain but try to stay composed, especially in professional environments. You know the saying leave your worries at the door?
Spend Quality Time with Yourself
Have a spirituality to call your own; learn to be at peace with yourself. Get to know who you are: what makes you really happy, what you are really passionate about. Learn to balance what you are able to change about yourself with what you cannot change. Trust your inner self. Set aside time to be totally alone and do something you absolutely love to do.
Photograph by Lexia Frank
