I once heard a woman say this and from time to time over the years, I have come across the same exact feeling. She was considering quitting her job and going back home to work out of her house.
She had a house full of children, a husband who worked long hours, a demanding job and she constantly felt like she was only playing out the part of each role halfway. And this left no time for taking care of herself. It turned out that her decision was the right one. Her career continued to flourish, and she gained more of a sense of balance in her life.
The word "balance" has been an ongoing challenge for me throughout the many seasons of my life. And I don't just believe this is a problem for women alone. I know that when hunting season comes around my husband begins emphatically rearranging our lives to accommodate his time in the tree stand. But I know it is important for him to balance working this in.
There are 8 areas of our lives suggested that we work to balance in order to take that time we need for ourselves while also helping those we love. This list did not surprise me because at various times in my life I have felt one of these areas lacking. The first is contact with nature. It is important to breathe in fresh air and absorb some Vitamin D. The second is balancing our work life regardless of the demands. Next, taking time with family and friends helps to fill our well. Another is keeping our diet and exercise in check. Movement is more important than I once realized in keeping our bodies mobile.
Spirituality is a no brainer. One of my recurring flaws in life has been getting so busy with my life that I stop taking the time to pray and read the Word of God. If only in quick devotionals and spiritual verses these checkpoints often remind me, I am not in this all alone and there is a greater purpose in my life. Creativity and self-expression are important outlets along with taking time to read and reflect on personal growth. The last of these areas to maintain a healthy balance in life is to take some time to help others, volunteer, do that extra that has no guarantee of getting something back in return.
These are all important areas of our lives that bring us joy and help us recharge our batteries. And at the same time, I read an interesting point that working too hard to balance all these things can actually cause an adverse reaction, like trying to fall asleep by over focusing on trying to fall asleep so you remain awake.
The suggestion? Don't compartmentalize these areas of your life. Don't focus on daily balance or schedules or lists. Set priorities but lose balance to find it. If you didn't exercise enough yesterday pick it up today. If you need some quiet time to pray or journal, make the time to do it. And don't feel guilty when you actually leave your work at work and make a conscious choice not to revisit the ongoing drama until Monday morning.
In reality, it is because I am in this season of life that I can sit in my quiet office on a Sunday afternoon writing about having balance in our lives. Why after having the kids over for lunch, taking a long walk, then reading a devotional watching it drizzle outside I can calmly tell this to young mothers who are so overwhelmed they likely don't even have time to read this short column. So, I will pull out those old cliches. If you don't take time for yourself nobody will do it for you. You can't pour from a tea pot that is empty. And time is the one resource that cannot be bought, exchanged, or granted. The jobs will get done.
