Work-Life Balance Isn’t About Time, It’s About Remembering Yourself
- Brainz Magazine
- Oct 8
- 4 min read
Written by Maranda Sloan, Advocate for Holistic Health
Through personal experience, customer feedback, and extensive study, Maranda has crafted innovative health solutions. As the creator of Haloblu juices, she empowers others to transform their wellness with sustainable, life-changing strategies, helping people breathe new life into their health journeys.
We live in a world that moves at full speed, where days blur into endless tasks and the pursuit of “balance” feels impossible. Yet real balance isn’t about squeezing life into neat halves, it’s about creating rhythms that restore your body, mind, and spirit. This article explores how breath, boundaries, and daily rituals can help you step off the hamster wheel and reconnect with what truly matters.
The hamster wheel effect
Life is busy, and it isn’t slowing down. Whether you’re building a business, clocking into a 9-5, or juggling remote work with parenting, the days often blur into one long to-do list.
It can feel like we’ve all stepped onto a hamster wheel, running endlessly but never arriving anywhere.
But maybe we’re asking the wrong question. Balance isn’t about managing hours. It’s about remembering who you are beyond your titles, and creating a rhythm that supports your mind, body, and spirit.
“Balance isn’t avoiding stress, it’s creating rituals that let you recover, reconnect, and remember yourself.”
Rethinking balance: Wholeness, not 50/50
The cultural narrative tells us that balance is an equation. Split your time neatly between work and life, and peace will follow. But research shows balance is less about equal hours and more about how you feel in your hours.
An article reframed cortisol, the infamous “stress hormone,” as “a hero among hormones,” reminding us that stress itself isn’t the problem, it’s a biological messenger. What matters is how we recover from it.[1]
Breath & pause: Balance in micro-moments
Your breath is the most underrated tool for balance. It doesn’t just calm your mind, it biologically regulates cortisol and resets your nervous system.
A meta-analysis of controlled breathing showed significant reductions in stress and anxiety, likely by calming the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.[2]
A 14-week breathing program improved sleep quality, emotional regulation, and overall happiness while reducing worry.[3]
Try this now: Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Just two minutes can shift your system from “fight-or-flight” into “rest-and-digest.”[3]
Quick balance reset:
One round of box breathing (4-4-4-4)
Step outside for fresh air and sunlight
Move your body for 2 minutes
Ask yourself, "Am I numbing or resting?"
Boundaries & sanctuary
One of the greatest modern challenges is that work has seeped into every corner of life, emails at midnight, notifications at dinner.
Balance requires boundaries and rituals:
Transitions: a stretch, walk, or music cue to mark “work off.”
Zones: designate a corner for work, and protect the rest for living.
Digital hours: turn notifications off after a set time, let your nervous system reset.[4]
Balance isn’t about avoiding late nights, it's about not letting work colonize your identity.
Movement, meditation & joy: The true trifecta
Balance thrives when we honor all parts of ourselves, physical, mental, and spiritual.
Movement: Exercise metabolizes stress hormones, lowers cortisol, and improves mood.[5] Even short walks break the stress cycle.
Meditation: Programs like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) lower cortisol and improve immune function over time.[6]
Joyful hobbies: Play and creativity are proven to boost resilience and emotional well-being.[4]
“When you move, meditate, and play, you’re not wasting time. You’re rebalancing the very systems that let you thrive.”
The real formula for balance
Forget the rigid halves. A holistic approach looks like this:
Physical + Mental + Spiritual = Work-life harmony
Physical: Rest, breath, movement
Mental: Boundaries, focus, reflection
Spiritual: Joy, meaning, connection
Balance isn’t found in one grand overhaul. It’s built through small daily self-honoring acts.[1][2]
Final thoughts
Work-life balance isn’t about squeezing more into your planner, it’s about remembering yourself. When you pause, breathe, create boundaries, and pursue joy, you’re not just reducing stress, you're reclaiming your life.
Want to go deeper? I’ve created a free guide on holistic balance with breathwork practices, reflection prompts, and mini rituals. You’ll find it linked in my Instagram bio.
Follow me on Instagram for more info!
Read more from Maranda Sloan
Maranda Sloan, Advocate for Holistic Health
Maranda is a passionate advocate for holistic health, with a personal journey that led to the creation of Haloblujuices, where life breeds life. Through research and hands-on experience, she’s uncovered innovative, sustainable solutions that go beyond conventional wellness. Maranda empowers others to make meaningful improvements to their health, offering a refreshing approach to living well.
References:
[1] The Guardian. (2025, July 27). A hero among hormones: Why cortisol is something to celebrate rather than stress about. The Guardian.
[2] News-Medical. (2023). The science behind breathwork and stress reduction. News-Medical.
[3] BMC Public Health. (2025). Effects of a 14-week structured breathing program on student well-being. BMC Public Health.
[4] Awakened Path Counseling. (2025). A holistic guide to managing stress. Awakened Path Counseling.
[5] Healthline. (2024). 10 natural ways to lower cortisol. Healthline.
[6] Frontiers in Psychology. (2024). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and cortisol outcomes. Frontiers in Psychology.
