Finding A Happy Balance

Finding A Balance… 

Finding a balance between eating healthy, working out, spending time with the Lord, school, social life, and making time for yourself is hard. Really hard. I have watched so many people move from one extreme to the next. Typically, when this is the case they are lacking in other departments or aspects of their lives that are beneficial to their physical and mental well-being. I struggled with finding my own balance for a while. One of my professors actually said the other day, “The hardest thing about college is being able to find a balance that promotes overall wellness.” He was right, let me tell you. I mean aside from some school work and exams, he was right. I truly believe the hardest part of college is finding a balance on the areas you want to focus on. 

Quite honestly I think that this comes with growth and learning the in’s and out’s of your mental health. I only say this because after four years of college and LOTS of growth in so many different areas, I still don’t  have the balance thing quite figured out, but I for sure have gotten better at it. I am also continuing to work on it.  It can be really hard to realize that you are overdoing one aspect of your life and not contributing to another, but when you do find this balance, you will surely be happier mentally and physically! 

One of my biggest struggles is just saying no. What I have come to realize slowly, but surely, is that it is OK to say no. I am a HUGE people pleaser, I mean like if anyone could understand that I can’t really think of a time when someone asked me to do something or go somewhere, and even if I didn’t want to go, I still went. Literally, no matter what. It is a huge fault of mine, I have a heart that is afraid of hurting others, but I do not necessarily think that is a bad quality. It just can sometimes interfere with my other priorities in life, or throw off that balance I am talking about. So, now this is where we get into some tips that I follow… 

1. Set your priorities straight → 
   1. With this I mean plan out your days or even weeks. I am a HUGE follower of my planner. Everything and anything I have going on is typically written somewhere. This is mainly the tasks I have to get done with school and then whatever work I have going on I make sure to set out time to get those done. 
   2. The other area that I make sure I have time for is the gym. My best friend keeps me in check and typically we try to find a time to go together, but if we do not the night before I always figure out the time that I can get myself to the gym. 
   3. Once I have a good look on what my week is going to look like then I can put in the time for friends and family. 
2. Set realistic goals → 
   1. This means setting something measurable and actually achievable. I have a tendency to say “yes” to everything which then leads to me feeling very overwhelmed with all that I have put myself towards. So, the moral of the story is be realistic about the things that you have going on and the timing. 
3. Making time for others & The Lord →  
   1. Communication is key when it comes to making time for others. For me, it is super difficult to spend time with friends that are not my roommates because my semester has been so busy, and so many of us are on different schedules. So, it is important that you consistently reach out to others to find the time to spend together because if you do not, those relationships can diminish. 
   2. When it comes to making time for the Lord, most times I don’t plan this out because I know I can chat with him and any given moment, but when it comes to divulging in scripture I like to set out 10-30 minutes of my day for this. Typically, the night before, I will run through the entirety of my day and pin-point the exact time will have a minute to sit with the Lord.
4. Pursue your passions → 
   1. Activities that bring you joy and fulfillment will be the most beneficial when it comes to benefitting your physical and mental well-being, so involve yourself in activities that you enjoy. 

On The Other Hand 

Finding a balance in what you eat, where you eat and how you eat is SO hard. If there is anything I have learned while part-taking in this six-week challenge is that eating healthy for EVERY single meal is a lot of work and takes time. Yes, eating a very clean diet is so beneficial for your health. However, it is also very important to enjoy your food too. So be conscious of this, I feel that it is important to have everything in moderation. For the most part, I do believe that you should be fueling your body with nutrients and healthy food options, but also it’s important for some not so healthy food items too! 

Of course our lives are continually evolving, so finding that balance in your life will be ever changing. Though it is important to find your balance. So, be kind to yourself as you find your own balance. Remember that those around you are also just trying to figure out their balance.