Balancing Act of Being One with Mind, Body and Soul
It’s important to take time out of our busy lives when we can to mentally and physically recharge. In this article Vanessa Davis looks at why it’s important to balance our mind, body and soul and offers some simple tips on how to achieve this balance
When was the last time you felt balanced, at peace with yourself? If you need some time to think about it, it’s been too long. For most of us, lives are fast-paced and full of stress, which reflects poorly on our way of thinking and the way we see the world. Even though relaxing and feeling good in our skin should be natural and easy, it has become a real feat to accomplish a sense of calm in our life and that is alarming.
This is why today we will talk about the balancing act that we have with our mind, body, and soul and what you can do to achieve it with less effort. We often forget that our wellbeing should be our number one priority, and everything else should be organized around it.
What Stresses You Most?
One of the biggest mistakes we make in our everyday life is that we embrace stress as an unavoidable circumstance and we believe that being constantly stressed is completely acceptable. Nothing could be further from the truth because you’re the one who’s in charge of how you perceive every situation that comes your way. We’re not denying that some moments in life are incredibly stressful, but you should come to understand that events will define you only as much as you let them.
Finding out who and what the biggest stressors in your life are is the first step to finding balance. Maybe it’s your boss, deadlines, house chores, people who are close to you but still make you feel bad and maybe it’s your own thoughts and feelings that are creating a conundrum. You need to identify what is that makes you jittery and tense throughout the day and then see what you can do distance yourself from the stressor. If you are the one responsible for the pressure, then start questioning every stressful thought that comes to your mind.
Why do I feel angry? Why am I procrastinating, when I know I will stress about it later? Why am I hurt when I know she/he didn’t do that intentionally? You will find out soon enough that the conscious mind, though excellent at creating tension and stress, doesn’t have any answers about why it’s doing so. That silence that you get when you ask a question to your mind, that stillness when the ego is quiet is what you should strive to nurture in you as long as you can.
Your Body Is You
When you’re stuck in an office for eight hours a day, you can be sure that your body is craving some physical activity and you should definitely listen to it. Feeling comfortable in our skin has become increasingly difficult thanks to unattainable body image society throws at us, but the first step to being balanced is to work on the physical aspect of your existence in the way that makes sense to you.
This doesn’t mean you should look like anyone else, but it does mean that you should take care of yourself, whatever that means to you. For some, that’s training five times a week, for others, it’s walking in the park with their dog for an hour every day. Don’t be pressured by what you should do, find what feels good to you and rock it. Same rules apply to your diet and lifestyle in general, don’t follow the crowds, but find your own path, your own variation of eating healthy and taking the best care of yourself you can. That can mean anything from eating more kale to becoming a hardcore vegan, whatever feels right for you is the key to your wellbeing.
Don’t Fear Change
This is one of the hardest facts of life to accept – everything changes. Jobs, cities, people, style, opinions, emotions, expectations, goals, everything is in the constant flow of life, so don’t try to avoid it, don’t run away from it, just accept. When you think about it, accepting your present is much simpler than deflecting it, as that is one of the main causes of all problems we face in life. Change is inevitable, friends, and that is a good thing. So whenever you sense something is about to shift and catapult you out of your comfort zone, don’t fear the walls you might hit on the way, but rather enjoy the flight and chances are you will land on a feather pillow instead.
Never Stop Learning
We live, we learn and that is what we claim to be true. Unfortunately, the reality of modern life is quite different as we get easily stuck in the same patterns, same circles, same perspectives. If you want to feel accomplished and good about yourself, then always strive to learn a bit more about yourself and the world.
Is there a hobby you would want to give a go? Is there a language you always wanted to learn, but somehow the time was never right? What makes you smile when you think about doing it? Developing yourself is by far one of the best ways to feel balanced and confident without even trying too hard. Going to classes and seminars, reading books, listening to audiobooks gives so much space for you to grow and become the best version of yourself you can be and all that while doing things you love. Not having enough time isn’t a valid excuse – if you can’t find time for yourself, then you need to set your priorities straight because if you’re not good to yourself, you won’t be good to anyone else.
In their natural state, your mind, body and soul are always in search of improvement, finding ways to be better for ourselves and the world around us. If you think about it, a lot of stress and lack of mental hygiene actually comes from preventing everything taking its natural course. Think about it and you will understand that this balancing act is, in fact, our life.
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