Balance or counterbalance?

Do you seek balance in your life, or should it be counterbalance?

A definition of balance is a situation in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions. Is this your life? Where everything you do balances everything else out? So if you work eight hours, you then have eight hours play and eight hours of rest. Does this sound familiar with your life? Reflects how you lead your life? Possibly not!  

In seeking to achieve your life balance, does it add more pressure, stress, and anxiety to your life? Does it add to your sense of failure, something else you haven’t achieved, or another goal you haven't reached? 

For me life is not about balance it is about counterbalance. A definition of counterbalance is to correct something that has an equal but opposite effect.

Let me explain. I had a busy week, which concluded with me working 15 hours in one day. All I could do when I got home was to slump in front of the TV for a couple of hours. Then off to bed. No eight hours rest or play for me! However the next day, to counterbalance this, I walked Jazzie, my Westie whirlwind, before going into work later than usual. I then finished early, enjoying my time walking Jazzie before I got home. I then spent the rest of the day relaxing with my hubby doing enjoyable, relaxing things. The only effort involved on my behalf was to identify beforehand that a busy period was coming up and to block out time for me to do the things that I enjoy and love. A counterbalance to my week’s busy work schedule, that had the opposite effect of working those long hours. 

There will always be periods in life when you have or will dedicate time to something in particular, that takes time away from other things in your life - that prevents balance in your life. This may be due to a looming deadline at work, a business deal that has to be completed, or exam cramming. To achieve things in life, you have to choose what is important at that time, resulting in an imbalance in other areas of your life - that other things won’t get done, or you won’t have time to spend on other areas of your life. This is the reality of life and life’s choices. However for your self-care and your personal life make sure you counterbalance this later with enough rest and play.