An Out of Balance Lifestyle Works

I always heard we should strive to have balance in life and found that really doesn’t work…for me. Here I will share what I realized after always striving to find a balance.

For years I always read and heard phrases that consisted in some way to live a balanced life. There wasn’t a formal definition but it was usually focused on balancing components of work, family/friends, and hobbies/play time. I felt a sense of anxiety when not feeling what I thought was a balance when sometimes working a lot of hours including some weekend time. Other times it could have been when I was playing in a weekend softball tournament that took me away from family time.

Over the last several years I began to hear a shift in this mindset. That it was ok not to be in balance depending on what was currently going on in your life at a certain period of time. Over a broader landscape of time we should desire some sort of balance but it shorter spans of time it is natural to be overweighted in one of the three components. I liked what I heard here and for me it relieved some of the anxiety I was having trying to find balance in the short-term.

I’m going through a different cycle this year already. After working 24.5 years at one employer I left the job at the end of April and since then I have been coaching triathlon and running but still haven’t began looking for my full-time work gig yet and what would inspire me. The shift in time and focus went other places and I have embraced it.

The time shifted to my hobbies and family before I determine what I will do next full-time. I have gone out of state three times in three months visiting my daughter in Virginia, brother and sister-in-law in Pennsylvania, and raced in Alabama. My brother also made a visit here for a week. I worked on my coaching business by completing continuing education sessions and focused on training that led up to the race in Alabama.

So I have been out of balance this year from a work, family and hobbies perspective with the emphasis on family, hobbies and my part-time work (coaching). It’s been great but I have had to remind myself often it’s ok to not be in balance at the current moment and the shift back to what I will do for full-time work will come back in the fold shortly.

I think the biggest take-away here is to be cognizant it’s not realistic to always be in balance in your life. Circumstances change all the time and our focus shifts. Go with it knowing in the larger picture things balance out.

– Add Health to Your Life