Balance, Wheels, Life and Cars

There's so many comments about having balance in life but, what does that even really mean? Everyone is different so one person's balance may not be another's person balance.

When talking about balance there is different ways to look at how to achieve it. A common example of balance is the work/play balance. To have work time and also personal time- this can be a key question asked in an interview for a community position. If it's work all the time then that can lead to burnout whereas if it's play all the time that can lead to boredom. Whereas when there is a mixture of both, in good proportions that helps to avoid the burnout and boredom, for example.

You can also look into balance from the perspective of the emotional and logic side. Dialect Behavioural Therapy ( DBT), has a great example of balancing the emotional and logic side- called Wise Mind. I would highly recommend having a look at this. Here are a few links that further explains this wise mind balance:

https://dbtselfhelp.com/dbt-skills-list/mindfulness/wise-mind/

https://dbt.tools/mindfulness/wise-mind.php

Although the work/play balance is common for life balance, I feel like it's missing a piece. The "play" isn't always fun as there is often household chores and other activities that would fall under that category. When I was in school for Occupational Therapy, we classified activities into 3 main categories: self-care, productivity and leisure. This includes the work, household chores, and self-care related activities such as showering and brushing teeth and coincides with the play. Although, this is all-encompassing of one's activities during the day, naturally the self-care component will be smaller than the others- so maybe not the best categories when talking about life balance.

So for the purpose of this blog post, I have created my own categories: work related tasks (this can be work itself, volunteering, other productive tasks/projects), care/management tasks (this can be household chores, grocery shopping, cooking, showering, etc.), fun tasks (this can be anything you do for enjoyment whether it's quiet leisure or active leisure) and social tasks (this involves spending time with friends and family). Each of these tasks categories are needed- without them or when one is lacking, there is often a downside/consequence that appears. For example, lack of social interaction can maybe lead to depression or it can be a sign that you are struggling with your mental health. If you spend too much time in one, such as the work tasks, then that can also lead to burnout and frustration.

It's like if you have a car - and each of the four categories represent a wheel. If one is not getting enough time, it becomes small and then causes the car to slope. The same can be used if one is spending too much time in one category, then that wheel will become big, also causing the car to slope. When the car is sloping, that makes driving difficult. Just in life if you are sloping, then progressing forward can be possible, but 10 times harder.

So acknowledging what you need from each category is crucial and adjusting tasks to make sure there is enough time spent with each to allow for a smoother ride. Each category has their pros and cons, and when balanced will lead to experiencing the most amount of pros.

Now taking this car example, one step further- everyone is unique and will require different tasks and tasks amount to achieve the balance that is beneficial to them. Just as there are many different types of cars out there, that have different requirements of wheels. Also depending on what's happening in life- maybe you don't currently have work tasks, so maybe you have a trike or motorcycle to get around. Regardless of the kind of vehicle you have - they need wheels and wheels that are balanced in order to function best.

Maybe take some time today to reflect on your balance and if there is any sloping happening due to different size wheels. The first step to fixing a balance problem is noticing that there is one. Self-awareness is key and often the first step in any direction! Once a balance problem is identified, acknowledge which wheel it is coming from. Can you decrease tasks in that wheel to bring it down a size? Maybe delegate some tasks to others? Can you increase time spent in a category to bring it up a size? Is there something that isn't important that you can stop doing to allow for time with something else that is important and necessary?

Maintaining balance is an ever-changing process- such as when you are on a medical leave, retired, or had a new baby. You may definitely find yourself needing a visit to a local mechanic for the purposes of getting a tune-up to make your driving experience a little smoother. Or maybe it's time to change cars- maybe it's time for a truck, or a motorcycle!

Maybe ran a bit too far with this car example- but here's hoping you find the balance you need in your life for the easiest way to move forward. Don't make life harder than it needs to be!