How to Maintain Balance by Francis Bills

When we feel that we are out of balance, it may only indicate that just one or two aspects of our lives may be out of proportion, and therefore need our attention.

There is a natural, fluctuating ebb and flow to life and there is a way to ensure that the scales don't get tipped too far, one way or the other in regards to any specific area of our life.

The way to ensure a proper balance is to first, *recognize when one area or more is lacking in your life and secondly, stay in tune with how you feel at all times. Our ability to recognize our needs and desires go hand-in-hand with how we feel.

Our feelings provide us with feedback to let us know what area of our lives need adjusting. This is our intuition. Pay attention to it. It is our internal guidance system that knows what we need at all times.

I equate this natural ebb and flow of emotions with the natural fluctuations of our physical bodies. Our bodies can be prone to extreme fluctuations throughout the day, depending upon chemical imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, blood sugar fluctuations and other physiological causes.

We adjust our physical ebbs and flows by changing our nutrition, exercise, rest and other practical methods.

We have the same ability to regulate our emotions, thinking patterns and behaviors in a similar manner.

This isn't to become an emotionless automaton or robot, it's to embrace awareness and control, therefore empowering us to self-regulate our emotional responses whenever we want.

For example, whenever we feel an indication of stress such as rising blood pressure, tenseness or a dry mouth, we can recognize it and consciously choose to change it. It's up to us, just as we changed our exercise routine, nutrition and sleeping habits.

It's emotional control. It's identifying and being in tune with when, where, what and with whom the roller coaster of emotions begins and then consciously stopping them in their proverbial tracks.

So how do we do this? By asking ourselves, "Why?" or "For what reason am I not feeling good in this place, at this time, in this activity or with this person?"

Remember, it's something within us that is not feeling right, and it's up to us to identify it. We can only be responsible for what we are feeling, not anyone else.

To illustrate this, let's use the example of someone who always gets upset when getting home from work. This individual can ask themselves, "Why am I always upset when I get home from work?" "Is it because I'm tired, hungry, achy, bloated, thirsty, still in work-mode?" "Am I still thinking about something that happened at work today?"

Once you've recognized how you are feeling and what you are thinking, you can then *replace or remove that feeling by focusing on your breathing, stretching, drinking water or grabbing a healthy snack.

You can change your thinking or your thoughts by choosing to consciously focus on something constructive, positive, good and life-enhancing. If you find it difficult to change your thinking, you can move into a productive action, such as a hobby or something you enjoy doing. You can also practice the habit of expressing gratitude for what you have whenever you sense a rise in negative emotions.

Through conscious awareness, a commitment to embodying balance, and through discipline and *repetition, you'll have the power to regulate and maintain this balance in each area of your life.

Balance and well-being is a choice. It's a conscious decision that each and every one of us has within us at every moment of our lives.

*3 R's of Habit Change (Recognize, Replace, Repeat)