“Not that I speak in respect of want:
for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, to be content.”—Philippians 4:11
(KJV)
What is balance?
Balance equals contentment. The most productive people are anchored and stable in every situation. None of us live in a state of uninterrupted bliss. It’s up to us to find that calm center of ourselves.
Like the ocean, there are still waters underneath the turbulent surface. We just have to access them.
Why do we Need It?
In this article, and the next one, I
will be featuring some profound words from a talk/sermon I heard in church.
Brianna Arauz is the teenage daughter of my good friend, Melissa Arauz. Keep
her youth in mind, and you, too, will be astonished at her wisdom:
Balance: Sometimes, even though we are trying all we can to maintain it, we fell ourselves wobble; and that can be very overwhelming and frustrating, sometimes to the point where we give up, thinking to ourselves ‘Someday I’ll figure it out, but no now, life is just too chaotic” or “Maybe I wasn’t meant to have a good life” or we just tell ourselves that balance isn’t that important anyways.
But is is! It is crucial to have balance in our
lives. Reasons for balance include: When we are living a balanced life, we are
in a mode to yield to the …Spirit…When we have balance, we have strengthened
our life, and so we can help others strengthen their own. Life is smoother when
we have balance. And when we have balance, we are happier. And we all want to
be happy, right?...
Back to my words…
How do we Know We’re out of Balance?
In my experience, the main symptom will be that we’re out of focus. We may have tunnel vision. For instance, many events may be going right, but we…
- Concentrate on only one, or a few, problems. (It’s like we put a magnifying glass to that particular trial.)
- Have interest in a minimum of pursuits (We may do too much of one activity.)
What are the Results of Imbalance?
I found a brilliant article in the Huffington Post that lists some ways to know if we’re overwhelmed. I have provided a box beside each item. Just for fun, put a mental checkmark by any with which you identify:
o No desire to get out of bed
o Stressed
o Too overcome by personal problems to
help other people
o No time for enjoying nature
o Injury and/or illness
o Too overwhelmed or unmotivated to
exercise
How do we Stabilize our Lives?
“To
every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven.”—Ecclesiastes
3:1 (KJV)
There are various periods in life, and that’s what balances us. It’s not healthy to live in emotional extremes. We are supposed to have victory and failure, illness and health, and so forth. Here are some cases from nature:
- Some areas of the world have four seasons of weather, and they’re all equally important.
- The oceans have high tides and low tides.
In our lives we learn the importance of dividing our
attention between important activities. What follows are some examples:
Stretching è exercise
Rest è
productivity
Laughter è
seriousness
Kindness è
strictness
Introspection è sociability
Judgment è sympathy
Family time è
moments with friends
Optimism èproactive preparation for inevitable challenges
My Conclusion
Balance is necessary for mental health; it really is. I could cite numerous stories from my life as proof.
There are methods to determine if we’re out of focus. Once an individual embraces the need for variety and seasons, he can find that stable place in his spirit.
Related Posts
How are you balancing your life?
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