WHY do we need balance?

At least once a year I find myself writing about balance. Of course that doesn't mean I only feel the need to talk about it once because it only bothers me once a year. No, no. In fact, I find balance to be an ongoing struggle in my life (as it is with most people). I tend to have to stop what I'm overloaded with, just to write this post! I have previously written about HOW to balance your life, but what I'd like to talk about now is WHY you should balance your life. 

I've been through a lot personally in the last 6 months. I've had a couple of extreme heartbreaks and changes in my life and have had to adapt my life from those events. When faced with a death of a loved one for example, your life changes very drastically. Many times people struggle to find balance again after what they've just experienced. You would have shifted your priorities to the situation you were dealing with, and then suddenly it is over, and it's the aftermath you need to deal with now. How to do that is very much a personal answer and I would not assume I know how any one person would handle it. I told myself that if I let myself go, that I would never get out of bed. So, I pushed forward. COMMUNICATION is a big part of finding balance. I created time for things I enjoyed, I did some of those things, and most importantly I asked for help when I needed it. If I needed a night out, an evening of silence, a day of distraction, I asked for it. The reason is WHY. Why I needed to do those things was because again, if I let myself fall apart too drastically, I would have trouble coming back from it. I would miss any lesson that life was intending to give me and I would lose more than I could get back. Everyone needs to understand and acknowledge their limits, and finding balance is critical to that. I say critical because when you get overloaded with work, family, relationships, extra-curricular/hobbies, friends, or whatever it may be, it becomes a critical situation for people without even knowing it. Let me explain myself. I am feeling overwhelmed right now. I am coaching drama, am the yearbook advisor, grad advisor, and am a teacher helper for our Jr. Baker program. This is all in addition to report cards coming out on Friday, starting to teach Shakespeare in my ELA courses (which is always crazy busy), prepping for my 24 curriculum's that I am teaching this year, AND I have a husband and a 1 year old at home. This leaves NO TIME for myself. 

This is the WHY! 

This is why I need to balance. A person will start to feel like they are losing their minds if they don't get enough sleep, relaxation, and balance. If you're busy, you don't get those things and immediately you start to feel anxious, worried, nervous, frustrated, impatient and feel as though you are starting to spin out of control. For your health, if not for all the other people who love you in your life, should you try your best to cut back on things of less importance and re-arrange your priorities to allow yourself some more time for you, and for your loved ones. Work is important, and so is being helpful, but in the end all that matters is who you spend your time with and how fulfilled your life is with love. 

I finished my report cards today (a day early), now I cut back my drama practices (to give myself and my students more time off), and I am picking up my little boy early from daycare so we can spend time together. You just need to make a choice to be happy, balanced, and make it all work for you. Do it, people will understand because you know what? Everyone has this problem, everyone gets that it is important to balance your life, and everyone knows WHY it is important. Better physical health and mental health equals increased productivity and a better work environment. Things from other areas of your life tend to seep into each other so do it for you, do it for them, do it for always. 

Happy Balancing!