Creating balance is a widely used catch phrase these days for having a picture-perfect life with all corners of it working well. This image may not be exactly what we are striving for. Most people seek balance when they feel that life is out of their control. What most people truly desire is not a “perfect” life but rather more overall happiness, more well-being, and simply feeling good about who they are as they live each day in this world.
With the speed of life, you usually don’t slow down long enough to figure out what is out of balance at any given moment. Examining yourself with a holistic lens will help you get started. Can you fix everything overnight? Of course not. It’s about having the courage to take the first steps to create your ideal life and find more balance. What will it take for you?
When we have more balance, we have less stress and feel more energized for life. Recent studies show that this balanced state actually means better health. People who are more balanced are more relaxed, happy and energized and less likely to catch the common cold, experience depression or develop fatigue.
Sheldon Cohen, PhD of Carnegie Mellon University interviewed 334 healthy individuals over a two week period, three evenings per week. They assessed their emotional states and were asked to describe how they felt in both positive and negative emotion areas: vigor, well-being, and calm, and depression, anxiety and hostility. Next, study participants received an injection of the common cold. Those who had described their states as positive had a significantly greater resistance to the virus than those who had described their emotional states as negative.
If you’re looking to stay healthy all year round, keeping a positive mindset and tapping into what brings you joy may be just be a cure for the common cold!
Fuel Your Life and Passion
It’s important to give time to thinking about what lights you up. Your passion can easily be tucked under the rug as life hurries by. The following questions will help you understand and focus in on what your passions are. Be as specific as you can. Also, allow yourself to be truly honest and real with your answers. Going outside your comfort zone may open up new doors to the things that bring you joy. Spend some time answering these questions around your life and what you’re passionate about.
- What brings you joy on a daily basis? What makes you happy in general?
- Think of a time when you were totally consumed with what you were involved with. What were you doing and what did you enjoy about it?
- What makes you feel alive?
- What do you most look forward to each day or each week?
- What brings you great satisfaction?
- What scares you the most in life?
- What worries you the most?
- What don’t you enjoy doing? (Knowing what we don’t like can often help us find what we do enjoy.)
Let me know how you’re fueling your life and tapping into joy!
