Life is a balancing act... here's how to find it...

eco-alex (73)in #ecotrain • 4 years ago

Hey beautiful Steemians! This is an edited version of something I wrote a few years ago, and I think its a GREAT time to remind myself and everyone of some simple and life affirming ways to stay in balance. I think with the way things are today with our lives totally changed it is harder than ever to stay in balance. When i was younger i had no idea what being in balance meant, or how it helps us to feel and think so much more positively. These days I seems to flip flop, some days i do very well and manage to do many of the things i have written about in this post, whilst other days i seem to veer way off track. What i have noticed is that the more off track and unbalanced my days are, the harder it is to get back on it! I think this past month i have really lost my balance, and when that happens I think its important to get back into good habits sooner than later. I know from experience, the more i wait the harder it gets! So i hope you find this post useful and inspiring. If you have anything you would like to add please do drop a comment below! <3 xxx

The whole universe is in perfect balance. A delicate and perfectly orchestrated harmony of infinite proportions. The planets spin around their suns, and our galaxy swirls around the universe in a great cosmic ballet. Here on earth our ecosystems and all of life live together in perfect harmony. In nature there is no waste, and there is no such thing as junk. Everything is used and re-used, recycled and converted into something else.

Within every life-form an incredible symphony of events happen constantly, each maintaining a fine balance of perfection that allows us to live and survive almost any environment. Our muscles are coordinated in nanosecond timing by our brains, and our hearts beat from the moment we are born to the moment we die without ever stopping or losing rhythm. When we look inside a single microscopic cell, there are 37 thousand billion billion chemical reactions happen each second! All of this perfectly co-ordinated, managed and maintained by the delicate balance that is nature and our universal natural laws.

Most wild animals live and eat in a balanced and natural way. It is second nature to them. They are guided by their instincts, and know just what to do, and when to do it. Animals have great natural wisdom and knowledge. They know how to do things that they have never seen or been taught. Their senses are finely tuned, and they are always alert and ever present in the moment. Wild animals have boundless energy and a great capacity for play and fun as well as for hunting and long migrations. Wild animals are hardy and can withstand pain and hardship without emotional collapse. They can live for days and even weeks without food and yet still have energy to hunt and survive in even extreme climates. The bear knows when winter is coming and prepares for it. The bear knows when to eat more, and when to rest.

And then we have Humans! We are perhaps the only species that seem to be out of balance, especially those of us who live in cities and have been brought up disconnected from nature. Oh Humans! We seem so smart when compared to animals, but SO dumb too! We can barely hear, compared to a dog. We can barely see, compared to a cat. We can barely run compared to a lion. So many people are unfit, depressed, overweight, with no awareness of our surroundings.

Who ever saw a depressed animal in the wild? Who ever heard of a lazy ant, or a lazy lion? Why is it that we seem so limited and weak compared to almost the entire animal kingdom. If we look at the potential of us humans most of us are fact switched off! You can glimpse the potential of a human when you look at people who are in balance and have excelled in life. They may be Shaolin Monks, Tribal village elders, sports men and women, and shamans . When I meet people who excel like this I am reminded that I am living FAR below my potential.

And so we come to Balance! Our combined human activity is completely out of balance and synchonicity with the rest of the planet. We have contravened natural law and live according to our own rules and desires. We (humans) have fallen out of balance with our world and as a result have disconnected from the world and ourselves. It is only when we are truly in balance, emotionally, physically, and mentally that we can live a decent life and have true good health and inner peace.

When we understand what we need to do to be balanced, we simply have to do it every day. No one can do this for us, and most of our most revered public figures are more out of balance than the rest of us!

So, please read these points below, and lets remind ourselves of what we need to do to stay balanced!

1. A Balanced Diet

There is a lot that can be said about eating a balanced diet! It is one of the cornerstones to your overall wellbeing. Over 90% of Americans suffer from everyday digestion problems such as gas, bloating, stomach pain, constipation, heartburn, and fatigue after eating. You might be surprised to experience how good you feel if you eat a balanced and healthy diet for one month. Eating well can improve a long list of issues such as depression, diabetes, cloudy thinking, short term memory loss, and chronic illnesses such as back pain, and poor vision. Eating a balanced diet doesn't mean eating any particular food, or not eating any particular food. If you are a vegetarian then you have to be very careful to eat well and provide yourself with all the protein and nutrients you need. Likewise, if you eat meat you need to ensure you eat a plenty-full amount of fresh fruits and vegetables as well. Consider eating some of your meals without any meat, there are MANY amazing dishes that are way tastier than a steak or a burger and are SO much better for you.

I personally recommend an Ayurvedic diet amongst others. This holistic approach to health allows you to become a balanced, vital, happy person with the least amount of effort. If you want to lean more please see below:

Healthy Food and a Proper Diet -- How Does One Decide? (3:27)

Sadhguru reminds us that food is about the body, and the best way to decide what to eat is to ask the body.
He explains that rather than developing eating habits which only make us function repetitively, it is better to decide on our food consciously through our intelligence.

11 Ayurvedic Eating tips for good health

https://easyayurveda.com/2011/01/06/11-ayurvedic-eating-tips-for-good-health/

2. Meditate for just 15 minutes in the morning

This single step could change your life. I have been doing this on and off for many years and can testify to the great improvements and benefits i get from it. If you want to understand this then you just have to try it! If you do this for one week I think you will understand!

The Meditation Challenge. Meditate for at least 15 minutes every day for one week.
Read the full post
https://peakd.com/meditation-challenge/@eco-alex/7-day-meditation-challenge-everyone-wants-to-meditate-but-no-one-actually-does-it-join-us-today

3. A ceiling on desires

In this day and age we are hypnotized into wanting more things, new things, and generally things we don't need. Every thing we buy or take on makes our lives more complected and takes our time and or mental head-space, such as buying a new car, or house, or gadget. Putting a ceiling on desires will not only help you to save money, but will also help you to keep your life simple and stress free.

Desires Are a Prison

What is the meaning of "Ceiling on Desires"? Man is deluded by his unlimited desires. He is living in a dream world. He is forgetting the Supreme Consciousness. That is why it is important to keep our desires under control, to place a ceiling on them. We are spending too much money. Curtail your desires, as materialistic desires lead to a restless and disastrous life. Desires are a prison. Man can be freed only by limiting his wants. You should have desire only for life's bare necessities. Instead of inordinate spending for our own pleasure, we should be spending for the relief of the poor and needy. This is the real meaning of "Ceiling on Desires."
Sri Sathya Sai Baba

4. Spend time doing different things each day

Variety is the spice of life! Doing something differently can be as easy as walking or driving a new way to work, or wherever you are going! Visiting a different park or cafe means you may see or meet different people than you would have. Adding variety to your life not only makes the days more interesting and exciting, but also increases your chances of something different happening in other areas of life. Doing the same things every day is mundane, and causes us to switch on to autopilot. We need new stimuli to keep us awake and ever present in the moment.. where life is actually happening!

5. Be on your feet for at least 3 hours each day

If we sit all day, then we need to make sure that we get up on our feet for a good portion of the day. Some people even have standing tables so that they can still work whilst being on their feet. We need to stand every day to keep our mood and hormones elevated and in balance. If we sit too much we end up feeling exhausted and depressed, and is a slippery spiral to a chronically imbalanced life.

6. Make time for fun

Having fun can mean anything, so long as you enjoy it! Having fun stimulates creativity, and brings us right into the moment. We can let go of all our stress in the moments that we are having fun, and laughing is one of the most healing ways to eliminate negativity. What are we all on this planet for if not to enjoy the ride? It’s safe to have fun. Now go do something unproductive! All you have to remember? Enjoy every second of it.

"Now that I have had chronic fatigue syndrome for over 1.5 years I have understood what is most important in life. It's actually not working but having fun. The paradox is that the more fun we have, the more productive we get. Being in flow is absolutely amazing. The inspiration and ideas flow!"
Lisa Sjöström, Flowguide at Room for Flow

7. Nurture Off-line Friendships

In modern day life with digital friendships becoming the norm, we need to have real contact and real friendships. There is nothing like a good lunch date with an old friend, or a night out with someone you haven't seen for a long time. We are communal beings and many of us also live alone. Today it is more important than ever to nurture our friendships and to be a healthy and balanced person we need to devote some time to our friendships. This is especially so today with lockdowns, we have to make even more effort just to meet people and have genuine face to face contact.

8. Spend time with family

Spending time with family is important, even if it doesn't seem enjoyable! We need to connect with our mother and father, brothers and sisters to keep our grounding. Our family are our most important connections and link to this earth and we must put some time into nurturing these vital connections. I think any therapist would agree, most of our wounding comes from family related issues, particularly mother and father. If we are to be psychologically healthy, we should do our best to heal and enjoy our family time.

9. Save 20% of your income

This is a good way to simplify your life and future proof yoursef. If you don't have enough spare money to save 20% of your income then it may be time to simplify your life! Maybe you can live without some of those monthly subscriptions, or only have a Starbucks every other day. There are always ways to save, and by doing so you can protect yourself and your future from events that you didn't foresee. If you don't have any savings then it is worth considering what steps you need to take to get some!

10. Participate in any civic or social service at least once a month

Help Ever - Hurt Never

This is one of my favorite sayings, and sums up very nicely the importance of selfless service. This is one of those gifts that helps you just as much as it does the people you are helping. It is only when you have tried it that you can know the incredible connections and experiences to be had!

Every educated person should engage himself or herself in selfless service to society with humility and a pure heart. All academic distinctions or even observance of spiritual practices are of no use if there is no love in the heart. Love and compassion are inherent in every person. Each has to share this love with others. Failure to share one's love is gross ingratitude to society, to which one owes everything. One should give one's love freely to others and receive love in return. This is the deep significance of human life.

Service to man will help your divinity to bloom, for it will gladden your heart and make you feel that life has been worthwhile. Service to man is service to God. For He is in every man and every living being and in every stone and stump. Offer your talents without any consideration of reward or thanks; let every act be a flower, free from creeping worms of envy and egoism and full of fragrance of love and sacrifice. If you have the talent, use it for the glorification of God and do it by uplifting man.

A manishi (ordinary man) gets transformed into Maharishi (sage) by engaging in selfless service.

HELP EVER, HURT NEVER.

(Sai Baba)

11. Spend a few hours in nature at least once a week.

Forests, woods and organic / rustic nature is preferable to a golf course! This is not only relaxing but also helps to nurture and develop your intuition. If you really don't have any time or space nearby, then i recommend getting a pot an some soil and growing one plant in your bedroom from a seed. It can be a plant that you can eat, like basil or tomato, or it can be a plant with beautiful flowers. By connecting with just One plant and giving it some time and attention each day, we can fulfill at least some of our needs for connection with nature.

12. Simplify life and slow down. Find joy in simple pleasures.

One valuable lesson I have learned time and time again is that the slower I go, the more I get done. When we are in a rush or panic, or are just going too fast, we end up wasting so much energy! We might even end up making mistakes and wasting even more time just because we are going too fast. When we slow down, we give the universe a chance to respond to our needs. We also give ourself time to even know what our needs are! We have to slow down in order to make good decisions, and just to be able to enjoy the moment.

13. Give thanks.

The love you give is equal to the love you receive. Actually, the love your receive is 10 times more than the love you give! We should be grateful for the most simple and important things, such as life itself. When we are grateful, we open the doors to receiving and we also allow our blessings to be acknowledged. Our perception of the world is shaped by our feelings and perspective, and so we need to spend time developing positive feelings and perspectives. If you really feel unthankful because life is too hard, then you may need to dig deep to find your gratitude, but if you get there you will feel SO relieved and happy!