Written by: Claire Thomas, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
In a world where stress permeates so much of our day, there is an increasing desire to find harmony in our lives. What does a life in harmony mean to you? Is it a way of living where our work-life balance is finely tuned to our needs in that moment? How do we look after our well-being and self-care while we provide for those around us? This article will give you 5 tips for achieving a balanced life. Now, who wouldn’t want that?
We all get the concept of harmony or balance. Intellectually it’s easy to understand. Everything is perfectly fine-tuned to do exactly what it was designed to do. It feels right. It feels good. And yet when it comes down to it, we find it hard to achieve a balanced life.
1. Take some time to focus on setting clear goals
The key to successfully achieving harmony in your life is to know what you would like to achieve. When you look back over your life what would you like to be remembered for and by whom? It seems like a simple question, but few of us take the time to reflect on what our purpose or goal in life is.
Anthony L. Burrow, a researcher in Human Development at Cornell University, refers to research that shows that people with a sense of purpose live a longer, more fulfilled life than those that don’t.
It’s important to remember that your goals are not set in stone either. As time passes, we place a different emphasis on what is important to us. So, if you haven’t stopped and revisited your goals or purpose recently then give it a go. If you want to learn more about the path to reaching your best, it is explored in more detail here.
2. With a clear goal in mind, prioritise tasks according to those goals
The benefit of having a clear goal or purpose in mind is that it gives us a guiding star when it comes to how we manage our time.
Better time management is a great way to achieve more balance as it allows us to focus on what is important. Does what you are doing move you a step closer to your goal or not? If it doesn’t then it’s worth reflecting on whether to do it or not. From day to day consider which tasks are aligned with your goal or purpose and which aren’t. Find the balance between the two that works for you. It will feel hard at first, but with time you will find that you free up more time and space to enjoy life and focus on your well-being.
The Eisenhower Matrix is a really useful tool for managing our time. Research carried out in 2022 by the Development Academy and Acuity Training, found that after just 4 – 5 days of using the Eisenhower Matrix, 100% of respondents found that their work was more under control.
3. Be aware of your stress levels and find a way to manage it
In a world full of stimuli our brains are suffering an overload of stress from moment to moment. Our brains haven’t evolved to distinguish between the threat of a lion in camp from the constant pinging on our phones. It’s shocking to think that 74% of people surveyed in 2018 felt so stressed that they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.
Some level of stress in our life is healthy, but most of us aren’t equipped with effective tools for stress management.
There is a growing trend of turning to mindfulness as an effective stress management tool. Mindfulness incorporates formal meditation practices as well as more informal practices like mindful eating or showering! Mindfulness gives us the tools to bring awareness to our breath and each of our senses at any given moment. And when we have a greater awareness of the impact of external triggers on how we feel, we can choose our response, which takes us back to choosing actions that are aligned with our goal and purpose and giving us a sense of peace and harmony in the moment.
4. Leverage existing habits to develop additional healthy habits
The fourth tip for finding more balance or harmony in our lives is to develop healthy habits that focus on our self-care and well-being. Conceptually most people understand that mindfulness can help us manage our stress and give us more appreciation and gratitude for life, but the challenge comes when we can’t get a healthy habit to stick.
B.J. Fogg is one of many experts in the field of habit building. In his book Tiny Habits, he shows how by breaking a new task into the smallest of activities and attaching it to an existing habit great progress can be made in moving toward a balanced life. The key here is to really start small and take time and patience to build up to new ways of being.
Taking the example of mindfulness in Tip 4, avoid being over-ambitious by starting with 10 minutes a day. Instead, as you sit down to get into bed, spend one minute focusing on your breath. Once that has stuck start working your way toward 10 minutes. Just an example. Pick your own and give it a go!
5. At the end of every day find a way to acknowledge what you have achieved and reward yourself
The fifth and final tip to achieving a balanced life is to remember to acknowledge yourself and what you are grateful for.
In a world where social media swamps us with unachievable, often fake, images of perfection, it’s difficult to not be hard on ourselves when things feel challenging. But when we are grateful for what we have and what we have achieved, there is a proven positive improvement in our mental health and well-being. Research by Berkeley found that the positive impact lasted for up to 12 weeks after practicing gratitude.
So, after you’ve added mindfulness into your daily routine and you’ve successfully done it that day, take a moment to give yourself a high-five, a smile, or a “you rock”!
Claire Thomas, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
After years of being all things to all people, saying Yes, feeling disempowered and unfulfilled, Claire stepped outside of her comfort zone and started her company, Reaching My Best. Drawing on her experience it’s her mission to help aspiring female entrepreneurs have the confidence to find balance, fulfilment and purpose in their lives so they can keep everyone, including themselves happy. Claire draws on coaching, mentoring and mindfulness techniques to help her clients reawaken their unique power. Claire and her husband Hamish have two daughters, Ruby and Isla. When she’s not working she enjoys reupholstering chairs, learning new creative skills and listening to books and podcasts.
