The word balance has many definitions. Oxford dictionary defines balance as “an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady.” Merriam-Webster defines it as “mental and emotional steadiness.” The true meaning, however, is not so clearly defined. Balance means something different to each of us, and finding it is a life-long journey.
When we hear the word “balance,” many of us immediately think of the effort to stand on one leg without swaying, or picture a perfectly evened scale.
Throughout history, the idea of balance has stood prominently. Ancient Egyptians believed that a soul traveling through the afterlife would weigh their heart against a feather. If the heart weighed lighter than the feather, the soul could enter paradise. However, if the heart was heavier than the feather, the soul would be destroyed.
In modern courthouses around the world, the Lady of Justice has become a prominent symbol representing fair treatment under the law, inspired by the Roman goddess of justice, Justitia. She holds a set of scales up in one hand, emphasizing the idea of balance integrated in everyday life.
While these ideas of balance in the past are intriguing, defining balance for ourselves becomes much more meaningful. We all have commitments to our work, our families and our friends. On top of these, we want to dedicate time to our hobbies and our martial arts training. At times, it can feel overwhelming and daunting to fit everything into a daily or weekly routine. Defining our own personal balance can help combat and overcome these challenges.
[All About Balance: Training, Recovery and Life]
What personal balance looks like
First and foremost, we must set our priorities according to what we value the most. For some of us, putting in extra time in the office for a promotion or meeting a big deadline gives us personal satisfaction. For others, we find more fulfillment engaging with our hobbies. There is no right or wrong path. Each of us must choose the path that best aligns with what we value.
There is another layer to this. We all experience ebbs and flows in our commitments. For example, our jobs can be very busy at the end of the year with end-of-year deadlines, but the start of the New Year brings a quieter period. We can take advantage of these slow periods to put our energy into other things we value. Our lives are constantly in flux, so our own personal balance is also in flux.
When it comes to our training, setting personal goals becomes necessary for seeing our progress and keeping our motivation. Goals can be long-term, such as preparing for a competition, or short-term such as taking a minimum number of classes each week. No matter the goal, it is important we set them clearly.
In order to achieve these goals, sacrifice becomes a necessity. Sacrifice can mean many things. For some, it can mean skipping out on a social dinner. For others, it can mean taking time from one hobby to allocate that time to training. It is important to self-reflect regularly to ensure that we are meeting our emotional needs.
[We’re Defined By What We’re Willing to Struggle For]
At times we may feel tired or unmotivated. These are the moments in which we must push ourselves to achieve the goals we have set. Working hard towards things we value contributes to our overall satisfaction with our day to day, and contributes to feeling more balanced in our lives.
As important as pushing ourselves to meet our goals is, we also need to understand when to take a step back. Taking breaks can be productive not only to our physical health, but our overall sense of balance. For example, when we are sick, it can be frustrating to slow ourselves down to allow healing. We may want to push through and not break from our routines. However, this can cause us to take longer to recover, and spend more time out of balance. We may cause our illnesses to worsen, leading to failures in other areas of our lives.
Not only is it important to tune in to our physical health, but our mental well being can serve as a cue for us to take breaks. Feeling overwhelmed, lost or stretched thin all indicate that we may not have the best state of balance. If feelings of animosity start to build towards the activities we prioritize, we should adjust our time allocation accordingly. Dread leads to burnout and resentment of something that once brought happiness to our lives. It is important to understand the causes of these feelings, and to set boundaries that allow us to thrive.
This applies to all aspects of our lives. Overcommitting to work projects or missing out on our loved ones’ milestones may throw us out of balance the same way training through an intense head cold might. No aspect of our lives can be ignored when we think about balance. Neglecting one area makes a sure way to fall out of balance and allow ourselves to fall into states of chaos or unhappiness.
Our lives and bodies are always changing, and as a result, our needs will always change too. We must continuously adjust to find the right conditions for thriving in the current moment of life.
It might just be best to define balance as “the adjustments we make to keep up with life’s eternal flux.”
