Balance made simple

Divide your life into slices of pie, a slice for your physical body, a slice for your emotional self, a slice for your spiritual self, a slice for your sexual self and a slice for your financial self. Each of these categories need equal attention and care. If any of these slices of pie are absent or uneven you will be out of balance.  

Physical Body:  

• Eat 3 balanced meals a day, or 6 small meals a day, or listen to your body and eat when it says you need to eat; when you feel hungry.  Add nourishing fluids throughout the day. 
• Move your body everyday if you are able. Exercise!
• Be productive during the day.
• Rest when your body tells you to; listen to your body for direction.
• Sleep at least 6  hours a night.
• Stimulate your brain; learn something new everyday!
• Have a yearly physical.
• If medications have been prescribed follow the directions of the prescription label. If adverse side effects occur, the doctor is counting on you to report back so necessary changes can be made.

Emotional Self: 

• Be honest with your feelings.
• Own your feelings because they are yours!
• Be honest with others.
• Make sure you feel your feelings instead of pushing them away.
• Cry, let out a guttural yell, laugh, giggle, etc. Be real!
• Don’t judge yourself or others.
• Accept yourself no matter where you are in life.
• Try not to medicate you feelings with drugs or alcohol.
• Stay in the moment; concentrate on what you are doing NOW.
• If your mood is too low or high and causing you problems, go see a doctor or seek out help.

Spiritual self:                    

•  Meditate.
• Communicate with God, if secular, communicate with nature/universe or what ever gives you a sense of peace.
• Visualize.
• Participate in ascending or descending muscle relaxation.        
• Appreciate nature.        
• Calm and pay attention to universal messages.      
• Again, don’t judge yourself or others.    
• Accept who you are.        
• Assist in humanity.        
• Find peace in helping others.       
• Behave with love in your heart. 

Sexual Self: 

• Yikes! Where to start!
• The population is contingent upon procreation.
• It’s great exercise!
• Sex is a wonderful expression of love between people.
• Sex is a release of stress and a great sleeping pill!
• Practice safe sex to avoid disease and un-necessary drama in your life.
• A good romp will release endorphins which will give you a sense of euphoria.
• If you have been a victim of a sex crime, be easy on yourself.  What you say goes. You make your own rules. (except for violence)
• If it hurts, don’t do it. Go see a doctor or midwife.
• Be honest with your partner if you have given away a STD. 
• If you are having an affair (women or men) or if you are on the down low, (usually black men) you are not living authentically. Even if you think you will get away with it, you won’t because YOU know what YOU are doing. That goes for all deviants that ultimately hurt loved ones.
• Have fun with sex. try something new and keep it fresh.
• Good luck!

Financial self: 

• If you don’t have money this makes life very interesting.
• Save at least 10 dollars a pay month. More if you can swing it. Start with your first job.
• If you are a woman or man in a bad marriage or relationship, create a  savings so that you can leave when you want to.
• Read any book Susie Orman has written about finance.
• Subscribe to a magazine regarding money. A good one is the Kiplinger Personal Finance.
• Be prepared for unexpected emergencies which require money.
• Examine your values concerning money. In a relationship, make sure you share your values with your loved one.
• Don’t fight about money. This is a complete waste of time. I have discovered people will do what they do and rarely change. If you are the one holding the bag so to speak, then that savings comes in handy!
• Protect yourself. This is one of Maslow’s hierarchies of needs. Safety.
• Prepare for the future.

Live life to the fullest! If one of your slices of pie is smaller that the others, work on that slice of pie! Living in a state of equilibrium takes work, but it is completely worth it.  

Tags: balance, coping skills, live simply