By Karen McMahon
BALANCE: How to stop the juggling act
The universal response today to the question, “how are you” is “BUSY!” With laptops, iPads, tablets and cell phones, texting and IM’ing, high speed internet access and instant everything, why do we have less time then ever before? Even our children are over stressed, ‘scheduling in’ time to play with their friends. Where is the balance in your life? What price are you paying for juggling too many plates at once?
In today’s society more people are on anti-anxiety and anti-depressant meds than ever before. It seems as though our entire society is out of balance, running from one commitment to the next…doing, doing, doing. So what would it be like if you were to reassess all those very important things on your to do list and make time to just BE? After all, we are human BEINGS, not human DOINGS.
A few minutes of prayer or meditation before you begin your day is a great way to center yourself – start your day with a sense of balance. Once you give yourself some time to just BE, your perspective will begin to slowly shift. Things that were so critically important will be balanced with the simpler things like chatting with your child, going for a walk, noticing the beauty in your surroundings or reading a good book instead of turning on the television.
This week, make a commitment to do one thing different. Unplug for an hour (or a day), watch one less television show, call a friend you have been wanting to reach out to, sit and enjoy listening to your child; whatever works for you. Then try to advance to Doing a little less, Being a little more every day. It doesn’t have to take more than a few minutes at first. Before you know it you will be wanting to spend more time just BEING. The best part is that you will find that you are most apt to get all your important stuff done when you approach life from a place of balance and presence.
“True stability results when presumed order and presumed disorder are balanced. A truly stable system expects the unexpected, is prepared to be disrupted, waits to be transformed.” ~ Tom Robbins
