By Ava Kesler
I used to think that having a balanced lifestyle meant having the main parts of life set in equal proportions. I thought my social life had to be just as prominent as my school life. When you throw in extracurriculars, and the increasing responsibilities that come with growing up, making each of these parts of life equal is unrealistic.
The whole point of a balanced lifestyle is to find harmony within yourself. When you commit to one thing, and have nothing else to look forward to besides it, you can find yourself over stressing about it for no reason. You have to have more in your life to provide perspective. The flip side of this is that you can get a little stressed about everything you have to do. And that is why you need balance.
The actual key to a balanced life is prioritizing.
First you need to know what you want. For example, you can decide that school comes first, followed by a sport, then a social life. Or you could do a different order. A balanced lifestyle is not stagnant. Different events happen throughout life that will cause your balance to fluctuate. This has to do with seasons of sports and various tests that come up. So you can alter your balance from time to time.
You have to make sure that whatever priority of events you choose, that it is helping you. There is no right way to have a balanced life. The only way you will even know it is balanced is if you are content and happy in your day.
Here's a quick takeaway that you can apply to yourself right now:
What matters most to me? i.e. school
What else brings me happiness? i.e. friends; sports
How many hours will I allot to each activity? i.e. 2 hrs of homework each night; 1hr friends on weekends; 5hrs sports in afternoons;
Am I happy?
If you answered yes, then you know you have succeeded.
Balance is individual. It all comes down to self-reflection. If you find yourself desiring something new, then add it in proportion and moderation. If you feel overwhelmed, consider toning it back. If you have a huge test to study for, like the SAT or ACT, figure out a way to push back something of less priority so you can study for it.
When you have a truly balanced lifestyle, you're unstoppable.
New articles everyday
Follow MyMindsMap on Instagram @mymindsmap for more