Stress Management Tip - Balanced Life Style
Developing a balanced life style is a very proactive approach to
managing and reducing the stress in your life. As opposed to
concentrating on one or two areas of your life, a balanced life
style means focusing on all aspects of your life, including you
work/studies, your family and relationships, your social life,
your interests, your spiritual needs and most importantly
yourself. Typically, you will find the happiest people are those
that have been able to achieve such a balance.
Sometimes a certain area of your life requires more attention
than other areas. Examples of this include students studying for
their exams or employees of a company working towards delivering
a project. In such cases the attention may be required for a
specific period of time in order to achieve the desired outcome.
However focusing on the one area for prolonged periods of time
can be detrimental to ones mental health. In the case mentioned
above, prolonged periods of work with little rest or play will
result in a loss of productivity and lead ultimately to burn out
if not managed carefully. Another common example is mothers that
are totally devoted to their family. While their compassionate
efforts are extremely commendable, they too run the risk of burn
out or even worse, a distinct feeling of something missing in
their lives. What ever the case may be, it is important to
maintain balance.
Here are some ways to help balance your life:
- Rest - Take regular vacations. During stressful times, make
sure you are getting enough sleep.
- Relaxation - Take time out to relax and unwind. This might be
as simple as watching TV or reading a book.
- Family and friends - Spend time with your loved ones. After
all these are the people that matter most to you.
- Interests - Follow your interests or get involved in a hobby.
- Diet and Exercise - Eat well and get regular exercise.
- Spiritual needs - Everyone needs some form of spiritual
enrichment, whether it is through religion or meditation.
- Work - Working in the right job or engaging in some community
related activity can be a means of personal fulfilment.
Finally, take time to regularly review and reflect on how
things are going in your life. If you are finding that you never
have enough time to do things, you are low on energy, you are
feeling stressed or simply unhappy, ask yourself, "Is what I am
doing excessive?" "Am I starting to neglect other areas of my
life?"
Anything in excess is unhealthy. Moderation is the key.