Maintaining a Healthy and Balanced Life

Life is busy whether you have children or not. You have so many commitments to keep and you always have so much to do at any given time. Getting a healthy balance and ensuring that you love and enjoy life is just as important as anything else you do. So, how do you achieve a healthy and balanced life? What should you be doing? Striking a balance can be tricky, especially when you are juggling lots of commitments, but with patience and with the right mindset you can get the perfect balance that works for you and for your loved ones too.

Making Yourself a Priority

How often do you put yourself first and how often do you think about what you need and want? The answer is, probably not that often! When you do not make yourself a top priority on your ever-growing to-do list, you end up going to the bottom of the pile and in the process, you end up neglecting your health and well-being, which is not beneficial to you (or anyone around you) in the slightest. When you start making yourself a priority, you may face some obstacles and you may well face some resistance from those around you. This is only natural, especially for those people who may be used to you bending over backward for them. However, persist with making yourself a priority, because it matters to your overall health and wellbeing.

A Healthy Balance

Striking a balance when you are busy is difficult, but it is crucial to gain and maintain a healthy balance where you can. Saying no, making yourself a priority, and also practicing self-care will help you strike the right balance. If you do not work towards achieving and maintaining a healthy balance, then you will struggle to enjoy life as much as you should. Something will always feel like it is too much or it will feel like it is not good enough, if a balance is not struck.

Practicing Self Care

You spend a lot of time looking after your family, friends, and loved ones, but how much time do you actually spend looking after yourself. Self-care is important whether you are out working, or whether you are home looking after your loved ones. Self-care can come in many forms and it is important to remember that there is no ‘one size fits all solution, for example, self-care for nurses and other professionals within the care industry will be different from self-care for office workers or stay at home mums and dads. Just because self-care is different, it doesn’t mean that it is any less important. Finding and adopting the right approach to self-care might not come straight away, but with practice and with time, you will find the right methods and approaches that work for you.

Learning to Say No

It can be difficult to say no to things that you don’t want to do but learning to say no is crucial to maintaining a balance within your life. If you are constantly saying yes to other people’s demands on your time, then when are you going to get time for yourself? Saying no is difficult at first but, over time, it will become easier and more natural. Learning to say no is necessary for self-preservation, because when you say no, you get more time for yourself and you get more quality time with the ones that you love, and what is more important than this?

Influencing your Family

You are a role model to your children and to other family members, so it is important that you display the behavior and attitude that you would like to see in others. Adopting a calmer and more relaxed approach to life, which reduces stress and gains happiness in the process, is important for you and for every member of your family. Your family looks to you for guidance and if your approach is not the healthiest, then they will follow suit. So, always ensure that you are looking after yourself as well as you can and then this way it will be easier and quicker to influence the rest of your family.

Taking Time Out for Yourself

How often have you just had time to yourself? The answer is probably not often enough, and this is not good enough or acceptable in any way. Having a few minutes to yourself each day is crucial for your well-being. Whether you have 5 minutes in the morning to have a quick shower or you have 5 minutes before bed to read a book or listen to music, time for yourself is essential. If you are not finding any time for yourself within the day then you will potentially end up having burnout, and this can affect you emotionally and physically, so regularly make time for yourself to feel the true benefit.

A Balanced Diet

What you eat has a huge impact on how you feel and how you look. When you eat a healthy and balanced diet, you ensure that your body is getting the nutrients and vitamins it needs. If your body does not get the correct nutrition every day, then you could be left feeling lethargic and you could end up being malnourished. If you are super busy, and food or meal preparation is the last thing on your mind, then why not plan in advance, batch cook, and freeze food that just needs warming up at a later date, or use a meal delivery kit to cut down on prep time.

Focusing on Exercise and Sport

As you get older your body changes and sometimes you notice a little bit of extra weight staying on that never used to. It is important to watch your weight and ensure that it does not creep up or become unmanageable. Focusing on exercising regularly, and even undertaking sport a couple of times a week will help you to maintain your weight and even lose weight when combined with a calorie-controlled diet.