Do You Live A Balanced Life?
Did you know that 90% of doctor visits in the U.S. may be triggered by a stress-related illness? Well that is the stat according to the CDC.
Life is Stressful. Period. Sometimes, as women, life can be even more stressful. Along with the many freedoms that our feminist leaders fought for came more responsibility and greater expectations.
Today, many women feel like they are expected to go to college, get a career, find a husband, have children, be a housewife and an income generator; and, to top it all off, they feel rotten unless they are beautiful, slim, and happy…all of the time.
Can it be done? Maybe. I know many women who are trying.
But, at what expense?
For the fierce female entrepreneur life presents many challenges. Managing those challenges without getting Baker Acted requires a mastery of life balance. It’s okay to want to do it all, but it’s important to maintain realistic expectations and to remember that the only expectations you must live up to are your own.
I made that decision very early in my life and it’s proved very liberating.
I’m not expert in the art of living a balanced life. I’m still figuring that out day by day. In the meantime, I’ve discovered a method that helps keep me focused and feeling good about the balance I try to maintain.
I’ve found that to maintain a balanced life you must identify what you value, discover what you are passionate about, and decide what to say no to. Once you have done this, list the core areas of your life according to their importance. Core areas typically include work, family, exercise/health, relationships, play, money, home, spirituality, and emotional well-being.
There should be four or five areas that weigh heaviest in priority. For me they are: spirituality, family, exercise/health, work, and play. Many of the other areas roll into these categories in my life, so I focus on balancing these five components the most. What is most important about these areas of my life is that they are the areas that I value the most and that I’m most passionate about.
Once you have your value list, spend time determining how much energy you need to apply to each area to feel satisfied. For example, I practice growing my spirituality daily. I exercise daily. I spend time with my family daily. I know that I must do these things every day to feel good about myself and the balance I try to maintain. When I’ve done these things I can pour my energy into my work knowing that the other areas of my life have not been neglected.
I know what I’m saying is nothing new or innovative. You can search millions of websites on ways to reduce stress or achieve a better work-life balance. In fact, I encourage you to seek out that information so that you can find practical ways to live a healthy lifestyle.
My only goal is to encourage you to recognize the importance in living a balanced life so that you can be even more successful woman.
