Balancing Your Life.
B A L A N C I N G T H E
V A R I O U S A R E A S OF Y O U R L I FE
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Disclaimer
All the material contained in this book is provided for educational and informational purposes only. No responsibility can be taken for any results or outcomes resulting from the use of this material.
While every attempt has been made to provide information that is both accurate and effective, the author does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or use/misuse of this information.
Acknowledgements
The names of any people you might want to acknowledge in helping you get this book written. They may be your friends, family members or associates who supported you in the project. You could also mention teachers and people who have inspired you who you might not know personally.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
BALANCING THE VARIOUS AREAS OF YOUR LIFE
For anyone who wants to create a balance in their life at home and at work there are various areas that you need to look at. You may not actually be aware of how all these different areas affect you when it comes to leading a balanced life.
The various areas of your life to look at include:
• Spouse/Partner
• Children
• Parents
• Relatives
• Friends
• Work
• Colleagues
• Boss
• Your own health
Take a look at each area and determine if you are happy with each one. Things to ask yourself include questions such as:
• Do I spend enough time with these people?
• Do I get along with them?
• Do I enjoy what I am doing?
• Do I eat a healthy diet?
• Do I exercise enough?
If there is an area that gives you an answer that you are not happy about, then this is a point that needs improvement. If you aren't exercising enough look for ways to improve this. Can you incorporate exercise into a family activity such as going hiking or swimming? This fulfills you in two areas, spending time on exercise and spending time with your family.
If your answer to the work question is no, that you dislike your job. Look for ways to correct this. Can you ask for a transfer to another
department or even relocate to a new office? Or is it time to look for a new job altogether?
When you have even one area that you are dissatisfied with this can ruin any balance in your life. The above list of areas are only suggestions and you may have others that you want to include.
Simply create your own list of the people and things that are important to you. Then examine each one to see if you are happy with the current outcomes of each.
If not, determine if a) how important they actually are and b) what you can do to improve this. Your actions could be to cross them off your list because after some debate they aren't as necessary as you thought.
When you have a balance in your life at home and at work you should always be:
• Happy with your current situation
• Able to deal with any curve ball life throws your way
• Have a peace of mind
• Be happy with the person that you are
So now it is your turn to start creating balance in your life, good luck.
HOW TO BALANCE YOUR LIFE AND YOUR JOB
It can be difficult to not bring home your work with you. You may have a demanding job or you may hate your job and you bring this home with you. Just how can you balance your personal life and your job without letting the other suffer?
While it is easy to say the minute you swipe out or get into your car to drive home, stop thinking about work. This is not always so easy to accomplish. If your job is demanding you may be tempted to bring work home with you. On the other hand if you dislike your job you feel like going home and ranting about it. Neither one is a good option.
When you bring work home it can interfere with the time you have to spend with your family. You may only intend to spend 30 minutes proof reading but instead this turns into a couple of hours. By the time you are done your kids are in bed and you wonder why they don't interact with you as much as they used to.
If you do nothing but scream and yell when you get home, this also has a negative effect on those around you. As much as they want you home they can start to dread that time.
To balance this out you need to take a good look at both situations. If your work load is too much is there a way to reduce it? Can you delegate some of your tasks to a junior member? Does your boss know that you are bringing home work?
Don't try and be a super hero and get everything done alone. It just isn't possible and your personal life as well as your health could suffer. Learn to prioritize what has to be done before you leave work each evening. This way in the morning you can look after the most important items first.
If you hate your job and do nothing but shout at your spouse or partner then maybe it is time to start looking for a new one. Research has shown that going to a job you detest each day can put you into a severe depression.
Even driving to work can become dangerous. You are dreading arriving at work and may not be paying enough attention on the road. One day you just may not arrive at work or at home either. Is your job worth it?
BALANCING LIFE WITH YOUR CHILDREN
No one is going to deny that your children are not important to you. But one thing that you may be guilty of is devoting so much time to them that you have nothing left for you.
Wanting to be there for your kids is a normal parenting instinct. It is very easy to overdo this by giving them everything they want. This is very true if you work full time outside the home.
Many parents like to put their kids into after school programs, some do it to make up for not always being there for them. While your intentions are wonderful, have you ever considered if this is really what your children want? Have you taken the time to ask them if they would prefer to do an after school sport instead of spending more time with you? Their answer may just surprise you.
Try to limit the amount of after school activities that your children do. By enrolling them in lots of classes it just makes more work for both you and them. Your child may have trouble getting all of their home work done or just be too tired once they get home.
If you happen to be one of their coaches this commitment can really eat into your time. As well as your children's activities look at your own. Do you help out at Church or volunteer for a program or charity? While this is all wonderful it is not always the best idea if you are trying to balance your life with your children's.
Many parents do struggle trying to create a balance with work and their children. One way around this is to actually discuss your work with your children. This way they can understand why your time is limited and they can get a glimpse into what you do for a living.
When you can share what is going on at work with your children they will often offer to help out more at home. After all if they don't know why you are always home late or have to work after dinner they can't help you.
One important thing for you and your children to learn is to how to say no to certain things. If you are asked to help out at a function and really don't have the time, learn to say no. Don't feel guilty about this, feel positive that you are placing your family before others.
LIFE BALANCING FOR TEENS
There is so much focus on balancing work and life for adults but not as much for teenagers. While teens may not be working full time jobs they still have a ton of pressure to deal with. They are trying to juggle school plus any after school activities, sports, part time jobs, any responsibilities that they have at home, then they are just trying to fit in socially with their friends.
It is important for teenagers to know that they have someone to talk to if they are feeling stressed out. As a parent, if you are feeling stressed out, talk about your feelings to your teenagers. This could be a great way to get them to open up to you. Let them know that they can approach you or a teacher at school if necessary.
Teens should learn how to set their own prioritises and to realize that they don't have to be a super student or over achiever. While most teens do have goals these need to be realistic goals.
To help your teen set priorities discuss with them what school assignments are due and when. Using an online calendar or app is a fun way to help them get organized. Show them your own priorities so they can see how you handle them.
If they have a lot of assignments to get through, instead of working on all of them each night, they may be better to tackle just one or two at a time.
All teens and adults, for that matter, what to be good at everything. They want to excel in their studies, they want to be good in sports or get the lead in the school play. This often leads them to being involved in way too many activities at one time.
Talk to your teen about selecting just one or two things that they really enjoy doing. Then focusing on just those, they will probably enjoy doing them more and will naturally excel at them.
The teenage years can be an extremely emotional time. As well as school work and pressure, their hormones can be playing havoc with their feelings. If you see that your teen seems overly emotional encourage them to discuss their feelings with someone. It is much better for them to speak with someone than keep their feelings bottled up inside.
Try to lead by example so that your teenager will have fewer issues when it comes to dealing with all the complexities that high school and just being a teenager holds.
USING SPORTS TO BALANCE YOUR LIFE
Have you considered using exercise and sports as a way to balance your life? If not, it is something you should seriously think about.
Taking part in some type of sport can help you in many ways. First it allows you to take a break from your hectic day. Exercise is good for your mind as well as your body, it refreshes and reenergizes you. Participating in sports is a fantastic way to keep your stress levels at bay. Plus while you are exercising you have time to think about your day and plan it out.
Another reason why you should start adding some type of sporting activity into your life is that it can become a family affair. One of the biggest problems for families today is that everyone is running around at warp speed.
Taking time out to do sports together is a great way to make sure you spend enough time with your family. The best way to ensure this happens regularly is to schedule your sporting time on your family calendar. Plus make it a priority.
Sports that you can do to help balance your life include swimming, walking, running, skating, cycling, dancing and even things like taking part in a family cross-fit class.
Adding sports into your life is beneficial for all family members. Even young children and especially teenagers can be dealing with a ton of stress. They may feel pressured into performing well at school and then add peer and social pressure on top of this. The rates of suicide amongst teenagers is at an all time high!
Sports can help everyone to relax and to just have fun. Whatever sport you choose it doesn't have to be a competitive one. Making it fun for every family member is important. You could even set up an obstacle course in your backyard and have timed runs. Younger children could have easier obstacles and don't forget to have some type of prize at the end! A free movie pass to see a movie of their choice is a great idea.
If you are feeling extremely stressed out then you may want to take up something like yoga. This is a fantastic way to help your body and your mind relax. There are many types of yoga available and not all involve deep meditation.
So why not think about adding some type of sporting activity into your life and make it an event your entire family can enjoy.
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