If trying to maintain balance in your life makes you feel like a tightrope walker, you’re not alone. Most of us have so many demands on our time and energy; life can feel like we are on the edge about to lose our balance. The following is a little quiz to see how well you are meeting responsibilities, while also recognizing and fulfilling personal needs and wants to help keep a healthy balance in life. Just answer true or false to the following statements.
- The only way I can successfully manage my life is to take care of myself physically and emotionally.
- Nurturing myself enlarges my capacity to help others.
- I eat healthfully and exercise regularly.
- I get regular chiropractic check-ups, go to the dentist, and take other preventative precautions.
- I set aside personal, quiet time for myself, to meditate or simply let my thoughts drift.
- I take time to experience the joys of each season: ice skating, sledding, skiing; gardening, hiking, more time outside; camping, swimming, barbeques; harvesting the bounty, gathering wood, spending more time inside.
- Creativity nurtures me. I take time to do what I love, whether that’s cooking, drawing, painting, writing, dancing, singing, etc.
- Reaching out to others enriches my life. I spend quality time with family and friends.
- Contributing to the world provides connection and purpose, so I give my time, energy and experience where it is most useful.
- I notice and heed the emotional signals that tell me I’m out of balance: irritability, overwhelm, resentment.
- If I feel that I’m catching a cold, I realize I may have stressed my immune system with too much activity, so I stop and take care of myself.
- When I need or want to, I say no to requests for my time.
- I listen to and honor the requests my body makes for such things as a nap, a walk, green vegetables, hot soup.
- If I have something planned for myself, I don’t just toss that aside when someone makes a request of me.
- I’m busy, but I find time to do the things I want to do.
- I’m happy. I regularly experience well-being, contentment, even joy.
If you answered false more often than true, you may want to take a look at the questions to which you answered false and see if you can incorporate something from it into your life. If you need more help finding balance in your life, feel free to call or stop by the office. I help people to realize their full health and potential by focusing on their body, mind, and soul.
