Balance yourself, not your activity

I hate the idea of work-life balance. Why is work treated as an opposite that is somehow separate from life? Most people spend so much time working that it is a key component of their living.

I prefer to think about balancing a person than balancing their activities. We can find great joy and pleasure in work and in other areas of life. We can equally find both work and leisure utterly exhausting and draining.

Keeping a close eye on your personal energy levels, and having insight about what builds them, and depletes them, is essential to balanced living. It’s important to know when you are likely to need an energy top up, and to understand the options that for you provide it. What works can ebb and flow through time, so a static, unchanging framework of self-care is unlikely to do it. I prefer to have a selection of options I draw from, some are long term regulars, others come and go depending on what I feel drawn to.

We’re well into the summer now, traditionally a time of more leisure given the warmer weather. What would you like to try this summer to expand your range of pick me ups? What haven’t you done for an age that used to leave you feeling connected? What is it you most need this week?

#mondaymotivation #wellbeing #selfcare #mentalhealth