Life balance is incredibly important when looking at ones health. However, it is not uncommon to have balance across all areas of life out of whack. Balance in life is incredibly important for a variety of health reasons. Unfortunately, in the modern world, it is harder and harder to get acceptable balance that allows for a well rounded, healthy and fulfilling lifestyle.
“So many people spend their health gaining their wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health”
If you approach health from a holistic perspective it means that there are a number of areas important in order to live a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle. It means that you are not focusing on one area in particular, instead giving equal weight across all aspects.
These areas include:
- Physical – Are you fit and in good shape? Do you have lots of energy?
- Occupational – Are you in a career you enjoy? Do you have a balance with your work hours?
- Intellectual – Are you growing and learning consistently? Are you challenging yourself to improve?
- Social – Are you actively involved in friendships and groups? Are they adding to your life or detracting?
- Emotional – Are you in control of such things as stress, happiness and sadness?
- Environmental – Are you living in a healthy environment?
In order to manage your great life balance, you need to focus on all of these areas, not just a few.
With the above in mind, here are some reasons why having life balance is important to your health.
You will be less susceptible to burnouts
Burnouts occur in all areas of life. The most common thoughts around burning out however, some from the association around being overworked.
Generally speaking however, a burnout occurs “when you feel overwhelmed and unable to meet constant demand”.
A few examples of burning out would include:
- Spending too much time at wor
- Trying to keep up the demands of running a household 24/7
- Trying to keep to an unrealistic nutritional plan or from even partying too much.
Too much of anything leads to the eventual risk of a major burnout. If this does occur, it will then dramatically impact every area of your life.
It is important to ensure that there is always a focus on balance. If you are aware of a testing time ahead, plan some time before/after the event to recharge and re-energise.
Some ways that you can reduce the risk of burnout include:
- Separating areas of life. This means (within reason) breaking life up into its different areas and keeping them separate. I.e, if you know that work is going to be really busy for a while, stay at the office until you get it done and then go home. When you are home, you have finished for the day! Most partners/families would be happy if you got home an hour later if it meant that you were switched on for them and not working. If this is unrealistic, then by all means bring work home, but only get it done when everyone else is asleep. Don’t let work and home cross over!
- Plan for separation. Life can feel like groundhog day sometime. It is vitally important that there is always something planned to break that feeling. Have a holiday booked, a long weekend planned or even a night out with friends. This leaves you with something to look forward to and ‘permits’ harder work in the meantime.
If you have a balance in your life, then burning out in any area is a risk that can be managed.
Focus on being present in all areas and your body will thank you as a result.
You will have less health problems
If the balance in your life is out, then more often than not your health will suffer.
Health is like a big jigsaw puzzle, if you are missing a few pieces, you can almost make out the full picture, but you wont be quite there. Combine this with the fact that if one area of your health is missing, it will impact other areas as well, it certainly pays to have a good balance.
An example of the impact of having poor life balance:
- If you are doing 80 hours a week at work, it will leave you tired;
- If you are tired you are more susceptible to stress and high blood pressure;
- If you are stressed and tired, then usually poor nutritional choices get made;
- The longer you make poor nutritional choices, the more you feel sluggish and unmotivated;
- If those feelings stick around long enough, combined with an 80-hour work week, then exercise usually goes out the window;
- If you are tired, stressed, eating poorly, not exercising and working 80-hours a week, then your not going to be your best self for your friends, family or even your work.
This is not to say that everyone can just do a 9-5 work day and go home, exercise and keep a perfect balance. This is certainly unrealistic and should not be viewed as the perfect way to do things.
It is very important though, to always understand that having good health will allow you to focus on all areas on your life.
Go for a run at lunch, spend 20 minutes in the sunshine, walk to work, book time in for friends and family.
There are always ways to keep a balance, and if you do you will be at a much lower risk of any health problems in the future.
If you pay attention where and when it is due you will be more efficient…and happy!
You are more engaged
As mentioned throughout this post, if there is a lack of balance in any particular area, then other areas of your life will suffer as a result.
Paying attention where and when it is due means that you will be far more efficient in that particular area. If you are at work but thinking about home, or at home thinking about work you are not going to be doing very well at either.
Each area of your health deserves the best version of you.
It is impossible to be the best version of yourself in all areas at once. Instead of spreading yourself too thin and trying to be the master of everything, break it down and put your full attention where it is due for that particular moment.
If you are with friends and family, put the phone down and stop worrying about work. If you are doing a workout, commit that time to giving yourself the best session possible. If you are spending an hour on personal development, shut out all other distractions for that time.
If you have no separation in life, you lose focus on all areas.
If you lose focus on all areas, you lose balance in life.
If you lose balance, you risk losing your health.
INSTEAD
Focus on the particular area in your life in the moment.
Good focus means good balance
Good balance leads to happiness and health
Happiness and health leads to improved efficiency and growth
You maintain life connections
At the end of the day we are all going to die.
Yes this sounds morbid, but it is true.
Do you want get to that point in life surrounded by friends and family, satisfied that you have done your best by yourself and others? Or, put all that at risk by having an unhealthy focus on one area (usually work) to the exclusion of others.
So often people define themselves by a particular area of their life (career being the most common). This leads to a huge divide with the rest of their life.
Ensuring that you have a focus on multiple areas means that you can not only succeed with career, but also with family, fitness, social and mental areas of health.
The world is filled with overworked, stressed and unhappy people. Most of whom think that they need to work harder to get further and be happier. Don’t be one of those people. If you achieve balance in all areas, it will allow you to be the best version of yourself, growing and developing as a result.
Friends and family are often the ones that keep you balanced. If you shut out these life connections, you are greatly increasing the risk of losing that balance.
Always make sure that you find time for the important people around you, they will thank you and so will your health!
Try these tips to maintain a life and health balance:
- Take care of yourself!
- Eat good food, find time to exercise and don’t fret the small things.
- Know what your priorities are for any particular moment and focus on them. Shift the focus as the priorities change.
- Keep an efficient mindset! Don’t spend 5 hours doing something that could take 2. Being efficient means you can have more time up your sleeve to focus on other things.
- Always be positive and optimistic! If you always look for the best in every situation then you reduce the risk of stress and the associated risks.
Balance in life is crucial, maintaining it can be hard, but you will thank yourself if you do.
We only have one life, there is no point getting to the end of it realizing that you missed out on things because you didn’t have focus when and where you needed it.
Take the above into account and you will go a long way to getting the balance you need, and deserve!
Do you think that your current life balance is impacting your health?
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