Balanced Life: Is it possible?

So many conversations I’ve had through the years with friends is about balance. What is balance? How do we achieve balance? Is balance even possible?

I’ve discovered that a balanced life is an ever-fluid thing. It changes all the time based on where you are in life, what your priorities are, the kind of support you may or may not have, and so much more.

What does it mean to lead a well-balanced life? Why does balance feel like an elusive concept?

The paradox of balance is that, the more we pursue it, the more things seem to fall apart. Our worries make us worry more.

The word “balance” is both a noun and a verb. No wonder we struggle to find it!

Albert Einstein said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

Avoid the Overwhelm and Focus on 8 Pillars

There are eight pillars that you can focus on as you work to find balance in your life, which are also dimensions of wellness. Your energy will never be equally distributed among these eight pillars, but it will shift as your life and priorities shift.

The 8 Pillars of a Balanced Life:

1. Mental
2. Physical
3. Emotional
4. Spiritual
5. Social
6. Environmental
7. Financial
8. Occupational

Let’s break these down into more detail.

1. Mental

The definition of mental wellness is the awareness of one’s own ability to cope with stressors of day-to-day life while maintaining the ability to function effectively when socializing, working, learning and taking care of personal health and hygiene. A person that fits the definition of mental wellness has a positive sense of wellbeing and hope, despite daily stressors and challenges. Overall, mental health wellness depends on factors, like self-acceptance, autonomy, quality of relationships, capacity for personal growth, and overall life satisfaction.

Activities to help mental health are:

• Meditation
• Affirmations
• Read or learn something new
• Take a mental break from social media or technology
• Journal your thoughts

2. Physical

Physical wellbeing is the ability to maintain a healthy and balanced life without physical limitation, physical stress, and excessive fatigue.

Our physical wellbeing refers to the physical state of our body, whether that’s maintaining a healthy weight, good posture, well-functioning organs, or the ability to carry out normal daily tasks without exhaustion or discomfort.

Physical wellbeing can also refer to the absence of disease or infection but these are not the only things to consider.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines physical wellbeing as being a key factor when it comes to our overall health.

Activities to help physical health:

• Get 7-8 hours of quality sleep
• Eat healthy whole foods
• Drink a lot of water
• Practice yoga, walk or get regular exercise

3. Emotional

Emotional well-being, or emotional health or wellness, refers to how well people are able to accept and manage their emotions and cope with challenges throughout life. Emotional well-being can affect how well someone can function day to day or how they are able to deal with change or uncertainty.

Activities to help with emotional wellness: 

• Knowing when to ask for help
• Manage stress levels with self-care
• Listening to music
• Practice deep breathing

4. Spiritual

Spiritual wellbeing means the ability to experience and integrate meaning and purpose in life through a person’s connectedness with self, others art, music, literature, nature, or a power greater than oneself.

Spiritual wellbeing is about our inner life and its relationship with the wider world. It includes our relationship with the environment, our relationships with others and with ourselves.

Spiritual wellbeing does not just reflect religious belief although for people of a religious faith it is obviously a central feature.

Each person’s spirituality is greatly impacted by the community they are a part of and their relationships. To be spiritually well will mean a positive engagement with others, self and our environment.

Activities to help with spiritual wellness:

• Practicing gratitude
• Spending time in nature and/or grounding
• Praying and/or connecting with a higher power (this is different for everyone)
• Taking time for self-reflection

5. Social

Social wellbeing is building and maintaining healthy relationships and having meaningful interactions with those around you. It is having a sense of belonging while valuing diversity. It involves open communication, boundary setting, and mutual respect regardless of our differences.

Activities to help with social wellness:

• Being part of a positive community
• Spending time with loved ones
• Communicating with others in a positive way
• Being there and helping others

6. Environmental

Environmental wellbeing is valuing the relationship between ourselves, the spaces we live and work in, and the planet. Whether you’re donating clothes you no longer use, recycling your trash, or cleaning up your local park, actively caring for your physical surroundings can improve your health, the health of our community, and the planet.

Activities to help with the environment:

• Decluttering your workspace
• Recycling trash
• Volunteering to clean up
• Keeping personal space clean

7. Financial

Being financially healthy is a critical piece of your overall wellness. Financial health is defined as the dynamic relationship of one’s financial and economic resources as they are applied to or impact the state of physical, mental and social well-being. There are many facets to your financial resources including: amount of savings, how much you’ve put aside for retirement, debt to income ratio, ability to earn money and how much of your discretionary income you spend. These resources combined determine your financial health, the state of which directly affects every area of your overall wellbeing.

Activities to help financial wellness: 

• Taking time to plan and budget
• Get rid of excess debt
• Save money
• Invest and built assets

8. Occupational

Occupational wellness means you feel a sense of commitment to your job, you feel your work has a crucial influence on the success of your organization, and you feel empowered when working independently as well as when working with a colleague or a team. It means you have only a manageable amount of workplace stress with which you can effectively deal. And occupational wellness you feel seen, heard, and respected at work. 

Activities to help with occupational wellness:

• Create and maintain a healthy work-life balance
• Have a healthy work environment
• Continuously developing skills
• Healthy relationships with teammates

Spend some time thinking about your life, your goals, and your priorities. Evaluate where you are in the 8 Pillars of a Balanced Life and think about what adjustments you want to make to help achieve greater balance. Remember it’s a work in progress!

The website mindtools.com has a Wheel of Life exercise that can help you examine your pillars and find balance.