Have you ever had a couple days that have wiped you out? It could be the length of the days you’ve worked or the gravity of the issues. Maybe every Friday you feel that way….after a long week.
Leaving my office 6PMish this past Friday, I called my wife, who asked what I wanted to do that evening. Exhausted from the week, my Dad’s funeral still a blur, I said “not a lot”. Cyndi said, “perfect, I’ll make us a pizza, we can watch a movie, and go to bed early”. Now Saturday morning, when I’m drafting this, it was nice to get to bed early and get a very good night of sleep. I feel rested and ready to go.
We need our rest. We can’t do without it. In fact, based on research that my wife has done, sleep is more important to our wellbeing than exercise. That’s not to say that exercise isn’t important. It is to say that you’re not doing yourself any favors by being on the elliptical everyday if you’re only sleeping 4-6 hours a night.
Balance is Critical
Just like we need our rest, we need to balance our lives in other ways. Categories include:
- Physical
- Emotional
- Intellectual
- Spiritual
What we’ve discussed above is part of the physical. Exercise is important, even if less so than sleep. So is eating and drinking a good diet. In one of Matthew Kelly’s books, he points to the fact that you wouldn’t feed a $1 Million race horse food from McDonald’s, yet what is it we put into our bodies?
Speaking to the emotional, to me there are two pieces:
- How we feel about ourselves – do you have a healthy view of self, understanding “who” (not your “do”) you are, your God given gifts, and what your purpose is? Do you have a life of peace, joy, and fulfillment?
- What do your personal relationships look like? Are they positive or negative? Do they feed you or tear you down?
Whether spiritual or emotional, it often starts in the heart. And the heart leads to the head, the intellectual. I’ve heard it said that you can judge the character of people by the books they read and the people the associate with.
- Who do you associate with?
- Who’s in your inner circle (a subject covered in my book)?
- What are the things that you read or watch on TV or on your phone, including social media?
Are the above making you a better version of yourself?
The Most Important Part of Balance
Last (should be first in our lives) is the spiritual, which is so vitally important because it grounds us in who we are as a beloved child of God, each of us loved unconditionally and put on this earth for greatness. And through prayer, we connect with our Lord, Who helps us discern the right path, showing us the way to peace, joy, and fulfillment.
It being Mental Health Month, I wanted to speak to how balance is so important in our lives. Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “everything in moderation”. I’d agree with that as long as they’re the right things. Take care of yourself physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually and you’ll have a great life…the kind of life our Lord designed for you.
As always, feel free to contact me with comments, questions, or challenges that you may have at [email protected].
May God Bless you on your Path to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!!
Mark Joseph