Day 2: Balance
Ah, balance. I’m not sure how balance ended up being the second on my list of journaling prompts. Perhaps it’s because my subconscious knew that I need to work on finding balance in my life. Lately I’ve not been content with some things in my life. It’s not that I’m unhappy but more along the lines of feeling like I need to get myself together. I’ve been reading and studying the Bible more lately, and I can honestly say that I feel like it is helping! I’m finding God speaking to me through the words that I read and comforting me in the areas where I am not feeling content. It’s amazing how the answers seem to come when you’re open and ready to hear them.
Another balance that I’ve been working on is balancing my eating and exercising. As a compulsive overeater, I often turn to food for comfort. While weight loss surgery has helped this some, I will most likely always have this addiction. I find that if I recognize the problem that I am experiencing, I can sometimes find an alternative way of dealing with it that does not involve food. Journaling in my handwritten journal seems to be the best way to deal with it, but I don’t always turn to it. I’ve also found that keeping busy in the evenings will usually keep me from snacking. Watching tv and reading in bed is usually the worst time for me in regards to snacking, and those are two of my favorite things to do in the evening! When I exercise in the evening it usually helps curb my appetite, too. It’s win-win when I don’t find excuses not to exercise.
Balancing everything in life is a constant struggle that we all have to deal with. My tendency to take on too much at one time usually stems from boredom, and I overcompensate by looking for things to do and finding too much. Before I know it, I feel so overwhelmed that I can’t keep it all going, and I end up dropping everything. What comes next? Boredom…and the cycle begins again. I’m usually way into it before I realize that the cycle has restarted. Surely I’m not the only one who experiences this. We have to learn to prioritize our opportunities and learn to say, ‘No’ to the ones that don’t make the top of the list.
“Everyone spends their lives trying to balance their world between good and evil.” – Laurell K. Hamilton
What do you do to keep in balance? Has there been a time in your life that you’ve taken on too much and just can’t keep going?
Read more about the 31 Days of Journaling Prompts
Today’s recommended 31 Day Blogger: 31 Days To A Healthier Life @ Eclectic What Not
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Balance is a toughy. I am good at doing really well at one thing, but am not a good multi tasker. I get overwhelmed by everything sometimes! Maybe if I was one of those people with boundless physical energy it would be different, but I am me, and “me” is a sort of organized chaos. I have taken on too much in the past, and then crashed and burned from stress badly. I try to not do that now. What helps me have more balance is to goal set and make lists. I will make a to do list for the whole week or month for example, instead of a daily list, so I don’t get overwhelmed. I will write down what I need to do or want to accomplish for the month or week or whatever and then break that up into smaller every day lists. I can pick a couple things per day and then rotate them so I don’t get bored and don’t get overwhelemed. I am at a point in my life where I am trying to “get it together” and break some bad habits so I can relate!
I love making lists! It definitely helps me prioritize and see what all I need to get done. I’m glad you mentioned that, because I should have included that in the blog. I try not to let it overwhelm me if I can’t get them all done, unless it’s something that has to be done that day. I guess it’s sort of an ongoing list.
Haha- that is what mine is. The ongoing list! I swear- sometimes I can’t get to sleep if I don’t have a list of stuff written down that I need to do. That is one way to get me to stop thinking about it!