Finding Balance

It seems to be the thing that most people struggle with the most. That balance between your professional life and your personal life. Are you dedicating enough time to that work project and then at the same time are you spending enough time with your friends and family and then again are you taking enough time for yourself? It’s hard but its absolutely necessary to figure out for your happiness and well-being.

Balance is still something I struggle with. Honestly I know that I have neglected some of my closest friendships in the past few years, I haven’t seen or talked to my sweet grandpa in months, and with my blog I have focused a lot of energy on things for it instead of spending quality time with Jake. It is one of my goals this year to spend more time with friends and family and that is what inspired this post. Below are a few tips I have come across that make sense to me in pursuit of a balanced life and I hope they might inspire you too!

Unplug– In the age of smart phones and social media it is easy to get sucked down that rabbit hole of mindlessly scrolling through your Facebook feed all the while sitting right next to a friend or family member who is probably doing the exact same thing. There is big difference in spending time with someone and spending quality time with someone. So turn it all off. Silence your phone and put it in another room, close your laptop and really talk to the person you are spending time with. I encourage you to unplug at least one night a week…it will change your life and help you appreciate the people around you so much more. Without that silly phone permanently attached to your hand, you are able to be more present and in the moment. If you can maybe unplug for a whole weekend and see how it makes you feel. I have never regretted missing out on someone’s Facebook post when I am spending real, quality, in person time with someone I love.
Learn to say no– This has been a hard skill for me to master. I will say yes to everything at work because it makes me feel more helpful but there have been times that I have overwhelmed myself with trying to get that extra work done on top of the work that is my responsibility. I’ve made committments to friends and family that have overwhelmed me as well and it’s taken a long time for me to learn that you just can’t do EVERYTHING! It’s okay to say no sometimes if you are already spread thin. It might even help you relieve some of the stress that has most likely built up because of all of the things you have volunteered for!
Take time for yourself– This may seem like an odd tip for finding balance in your life but hear me out. You need to make time to prioritize yourself or you are going to get burnt out and not want to spend time doing anything with anyone. Take care of yourself and treat yourself every now and then with a mani pedi or a nice glass of wine and relax a little. This helps you recharge your batteries and will allow you to refocus your efforts on goals or other things in your life that you make a priority.
Set goals in all areas of your life– When I started this blog one of my first posts was my goals for this year and it included goals in several different life categories. When I first did this I was sure I was going to get overwhelmed with how many I had set but it turns out that it has helped me balance different parts of my life by working towards a few at a time. It helps me gauge if I am spending more time in one area of my life and not enough in another.