Work-Life balance requires you to hone your character traits

Are YOU feeling off balance?

• Do you feel the overwhelm in your racing chest?
• Are your tense shoulder's telling you that you are carrying around too much?
• Are you afraid you are going to drop something, but you don't know what to let go of?
• Is your health suffering? Your marriage? Your parenting?I

f you said yes to even one of those, it's safe to say you are somewhat off balance.

If I am honest, I can say yes to every one of those!

• Last week I felt the anxiety building in my chest not sure how to get done what I was working on before I had to leave for an appointment.
• My shoulders get tense daily and at times so does my lower back.
• I often feel like I'm gripping way too many things!
• I see warning signs in my health, my marriage and my parenting.

Now you are saying: Well heck Kathy! I thought you had it all together! I guess you can't teach me anything!

Whoa...hold up!

Yes, I can say yes to every one of those and probably will for the rest of my life! That's life! 

Stress, busy times and full scheduled will never go away. 
Nor should they! 

** S T R E S S is not bad **
Only your thoughts make it so. 
It's how you handle the stress of life that is key.

Stress = Meaning
I know, a warm sunny beach sounds good for a little while, but for how long?
I had a conversation recently with a lady who received an early retirement package. Within a few weeks of being home, she's depressed and feeling like she doesn't matter anymore. She lacks meaning. 

Work gives us a reason to get up every day. 

People need us. We have work to do. Busy times and full schedules are signs we are doing meaningful work.

Signs of stress are signals we need to pay attention to
Those signs above (racing heart, tense shoulders and relationship challenges) are signs we need to pay attention too. They are red flags to come back to a better state of balance.

- -> Here is how I took a holistic approach to bring myself back into work-life balance:

• When I was racing to try to get everything done before I had to leave for an appointment, I took a moment to step away from the computer and sit in a chair and take 3 slow deep breaths in and even slower breaths out. I told my body I wasn't in stress mode anymore, brought myself out of tunnel vision (that is what fight/flight mode does to us) and gained clarity and focus to get done what needed doing at that moment. 
  • I practiced self-compassion.

• When my shoulder tension wouldn't go away, I found a way to create a stand-up desk environment for a bit, finding a more ergonomic way to work AND I changed the mantra's in my head.
  • Instead of: OMG I'm dying...I must have something seriously wrong with my neck and shoulders....What if this lasts forever?
  • I changed it to: Kathy everything is ok. Your world is safe, you are fine. Just breath through it. Relax girl, you've got this!
  • I practiced curiosity.

• When I snapped at my husband, I realized my role in it, even though it is soooooooo easy to blame the other person! I took some time to myself, had a nap and then asked him for a hug. We don't have to be perfect. We need to be human. That's all!
  • I practiced forgiveness & humility.

What work-life balance is NOT:
X Work-life balance is not a matter of just setting clearer boundaries. 
X It's not finding a better time management system. 
X Finding work-life balance is not just learning to manage your priorities.

What Work-life balance IS:
√ You find more work-life balance when you have the courage to set clearer boundaries.
√  You find more work-life balance when you have the humility to ask for help.
√ You find more work-life balance when you forgive yourself for messing up and have compassion for yourself as you work hard to excel.

I know this is a process to figure out and make sense of it all. But stay with it, it's worth it!