 Stress Management, Life Balance and Prioritization Now
I find it very fascinating how we as a society have
an abundance of modern conveniences, yet we are more inconvenienced and
more stressed than ever before. We have so many choices, options and
things to want. We are all very busy people, doing so much, but somehow
leaving out the most important things. Since so many of us are living
our lives in chaos, life-balance seems to be a hot topic these days. Is
there any such thing as balance? Can we successfully keep all the balls
spinning on every facet of our lives and also feel energized, well
rested and ready for the next day? I'd like to ditch the word balance
and replace it the prioritization. I believe we need to get over the
notion that we should actually do it all each and every day and somehow
it is supposed to all fit and appear balanced. Each day we have to ask
ourselves, "What are the priorities today, what are the priorities in
my life overall?" "Does my daily doings reflect that?" When
giving order to the following: work/career, personal character/growth,
family, other interests such as entertainment, etc most of us would say
that our priorities are (and the order of things or course may vary in
your life) family, personal character, work/career and then other
interests. The bottom line is that family and personal growth usually
rank high when we put them in order on paper, yet we spend most of our
time working and doing miscellaneous things and the least amount of
time on what we say are our priorities. Knowing that my health is
important I make it a point to exercise in the morning. I use to
attempt doing it in the evening. I found I was less likely to get it
done, since by the end of the day I was tired and I would likely allow
other things to come in and sway my attention. It takes so much of my
discipline to exercise, but I know at the end of the day I'm better for
it in so many ways and since I have deemed my health as one of my top
priorities I certainly need to act accordingly. We need to put our
actions toward the things that we say are most important in our lives.
This is no secret, but if you're not healthy you won't continue to work
long and hard anyway. In the grand scheme of things 1 hour out of one's
day to exercise and work on oneself really shouldn't be too much to
tackle, but the reality is that many of us fail to again keep the main
thing, the main thing. I know all this sounds grand and worthy of
attention, but I'm sure you'd like a manageable solution. Truthfully
this is going to require change. I certainly understand that change can
be profoundly difficult, especially when it comes to routines and
mindsets. The truth of the matter is that in order to prioritize our
lives and make them more pleasurable and meaningful we must do fewer of
the unimportant things in order to do more of the important things. In
this process of prioritizing our lives we must be willing to cut
something out and maybe even certain people. Each day when we wake or
at night before we sleep we must take time to review what has to be
done and check to see if they are in balance with what we say are our
priorities. Are we each day doing something for ourselves? Are you
making quality uninterrupted time with your children or spouse? Are you
giving your all at work within the time frame you are there? Outside of
that time frame you should be physically and mentally out of work. Are
you giving yourself time for fun and simple pleasures? Look at your
doings every day and put them in order. This will help you with this
illusive concept we call balance. Again you must be willing to change
and cut out unimportant tasks, events and people. Robin
Allen is an expert in the fields of personal and professional
development. She is a keynote speaker, workshop presenter and trainer
that conduct programs and speeches on topics such as life balance,
self-esteem, weight loss, management/leadership and sales. Robin, runs
De-Ivy Management and can be reached at http://www.robinallendirect.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robin_Allen
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