"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony." - Thomas Merton.
Family, friends, health, diets, fun, sleep, study, work, exercise. All of these factors are vital to a person's overall happiness. To some people balance comes naturally, to others it's a struggle.
You can work out how you need to balance your life quite simply. Grab some paper and a pen, and write across the top all the things that are important to you. Underneath, rate them out of 10, 1 being not important and 10 being extremely important. Under this, create another column with the same titles, but this time you're going to rate in percentage how much time you're giving each factor at the moment. Eg: DIET - 30% SOCIAL LIFE - 90% - WORK - 60% Here, it would become clear to me that I need to put more effort into my diet, and focus less on my social life, which should leave me more time to concentrate and improve on the work side of things.
One thing to keep in mind is that everyone will have different expectations. You might rate the importance of work 90%, I might rate it 60%. Either way, there is no right or wrong. You know how to best balance your life in order to make yourself happy. Once you've done your list, have a good look at it, and think how you can best shift your life to make room for the more important things in your life. This isn't supposed to be a chore, or an assignment, so it's not like you now plan your week/months/lives around this. Take it in, and subconsciously your mind will become aware of what is more important to you, and what is less. Next time you're out you might find yourself thinking, 'I better leave the shops now and finish that assignment so I can get a good sleep', whereas before it wouldn't have even crossed your mind.
Another thing that you may experience while you're trying to maintain a balanced life, is guilt. I have gone through it myself, and I have seen my family and friends go through it as well. An example of this is dieting. You might feel guilty because you're out with friends and end up having a few drinks, or a piece of the birthday cake, or you might feel guilty because you have some chocolate after dinner. Here's where balance can put our guilty minds to rest. It's a healthy lifestyle choice to have a balanced diet. I'm not a dietician, and of course it's going to be more beneficial to your body if you just eat veggies, meat, salad etc. But we should never feel guilty for treating ourselves every now and then. Let's face it, it's more fun and a lot more tasty when we do! As long as you're getting in your five food groups, there is no reason why you can't let go and enjoy yourself. Balance is the key!
Along with figuring out the most important factors in your life, it's also important to figure out where your energy is going. It's so easy to give our energy to things we don't necessarily need or want to give it to. The two main things that I find take my energy is work and people. Your energy is important because you need it to live and to be yourself! Unfortunately there are negative people in this world, and their energy can drain you of your energy. Sometimes we have to be around these people, so it's important that you either change the subject, or try your very hardest to not let their negative energy, draw yours. As another example, if your work situation is draining your energy, concentrate on balance and how best you can even this situation out. You could go do some yoga and meditation on your lunch break, or talk to your boss about the work load. If your work is draining your energy to the point of no help, maybe it's time to consider another job. If it doesn't feel right, then it probably isn't. There's something better out there that you were born for, you just need to figure out what that something is!
Remember, the only person who can make you 100% happy is you! You're the only one who knows what you really want and need in this life, and you deserve just that. So put time into figuring out your life. Once you do, act on it and you will start to be the most positive and happy version of yourself! Live the life that you want, and on your terms.
I hope you enjoyed today's blog! Wishing you all an amazing week filled with love, light and POSITIVE ENERGY!
Cleo xx
Photography: Michael Angelo - Instagram - michaelangelophoto
May 28, 2017