We tend to go over to the extremes in our search for more pleasure when instead we should be looking for more balance if we want to live a happier life.
Below I share with you a list of easy to do things that will help you experience more balance in your everyday life and will also give you a deeper sense of peace and connection with the divine.
1. Play More Games
I was first exposed to this weird principle, that can play a very important role in your levels of happiness and success, about two years ago in Robin Sharma’s audio book “The Greatness Guide” (click here to listen to it for free online on robinsharma.com) where he talks about the importance of making time to play once in a while.
The benefits? Endless. From experiencing more joy, which is a very high emotion (vibrationally speaking), to connecting with friends and family which is great for mental health and it also helps to take yourself less seriously.
Think of a game that you haven’t played in years and schedule a time in your calendar to play it in the next 14 days. You’ll thank me later for that.
2. Use Mind Maps
Did you know that the first person to use a mind map (even though they were not called this way back then) was Leonardo Da Vinci back in the 15th century? Yes, he was way ahead of his time. Mind maps are a great tool for balancing your left and right brain hemispheres, which will actually put your whole being in more balance. Learn more about how to create a mind map here.
Some key aspects to keep in mind:
- use big papers, this way you don’t shrink your thinking
- the more colors, the better
- underline & use caps where necessary
- draw – let your creative juices flow
- start from the center (it has to be a drawing) where you place your main idea/project name
- some say to only write one word, but I find it easier to keep it under three words per idea.
3. Make Time to Walk
Walking can be so beneficial for you, especially if you’re not a very sporty person or you spend a lot of time working at a desk like myself. It’s been researched that just walking regularly can help decrease feelings of depression by up to 25% in a matter of weeks.
We are part of an environment, so it’s very important to remember that in order to feel good and happy, we need to take advantage and connect with the environment, with the nature around us. I love trees, woods and parks, and in time, walking actually became a hobby as I also use the time to do other stuff like:
- listen to an audio book & course
- meditate – count my steps
- think about my dreams and goals
- dream building – be aware of everything around you and find new items that you can add to your dream board (see #31)
TIP: walk barefoot on grass from time to time because there’s no better way to connect yourself with nature.
4. Go Away for a Weekend Every Month
We live in a busy world (most of us) and it’s pretty hard (if not impossible) to find balance when you’re constantly working on getting somewhere. Make a habit of going away for a weekend every month with your family and/or friends – you owe this to yourself for how much you work every day and sometimes we tend to forget that we are not machines, we need sleep, rest, nature, loved ones, good food, joy and time off from time to time.
A weekend is too much or too expensive? Go somewhere close by for an entire day and do your best to disconnect from everything that happens at work, but understand that the first few times it can be really hard to totally disconnect.
The biggest benefit is that you’ll get more creative ideas by constantly disconnecting yourself from daily activities and habits, besides experiencing more joy, see new places and meet new people.
5. Draw Something
Drawing is great for developing a balance between the left hemisphere, which we tend to use the most because it’s the one that deals with words, logic, number, analysis etc., and the right hemisphere which is where all the “creative juices” are hidden – this is the part of your brain that deals with rhythm, color, imagination, awareness.
So, if you believe you have a lot of ideas, you can skip this one, but who would want to consciously keep themselves away from more awesome ideas anyway?!
Did you know that Leonardo Da Vinci was ambidextrous, paranoid dyslexic, and could draw forward with one hand while writing backward with the other? That’s what I like to call mastery.
6. Eat Out Once a Month
Some of you will be like “only once?” while others will be like “I can’t afford that often…” or “I like to prepare my own food” and I totally get you, but here we’re looking for more balance.
Cooking at home is great, but we need to feel taken care of once in a while and just enjoy our partner’s company. Allow yourself to eat out once a month at a nice restaurant and feel good about it because you are wonderful and you deserve it!
No cell phones, please! And even if you’re not a big drinker, like myself for instance, you can enjoy a glass of fine wine without feeling guilty – it’s good for your health too!
7. Stop Skipping That Vacation!
Even though work is a big part of a human being’s life and I believe that it keeps us from not going completely nuts, we need time off once in a while. But most, we need to learn how to make the most of that little time off that we get every year.
If you take the time to relax and recharge your batteries you will feel more joyful and happy, which is exactly the kind of emotions that have the power to make all your dreams become a reality. Living in a higher vibration is much more important than all the work that you could possibly do in that one week of vacation.
You might not see this advice anywhere else, but take a small loan if you have to and just go on vacation this year, feel good about it and deal with everything else later. You might find that, by the time you come back, things will look much brighter in your life. Just because sometimes, a short vacation may be all that you need.
8. Wear More Colors
Because style is one of the main topics I cover on my blog and I am very passionate about it, I always recommend a change of wardrobe. We need to make changes and challenge ourselves once in a while if we want to keep ourselves mentally healthy, and I believe that adding more colors to your outfit can be a fun challenge.
From where I stand, balance equals more happiness, but in order to feel happier you need to wear happy clothes. It’s pretty hard to feel happy when all you’re wearing every day are black, brown and gray clothes. Be bold and try on a green shirt, yellow pants, a pair of red sneakers or a dark blue coat.
Too scary? Start small!
- Men can start with a pair of colorful socks, a colorful striped tie or just a pocket square.
9. Eat Organic Food
Fortunately or unfortunately for a lot of people, we are what we eat. A big chunk of our everyday balance comes from what we eat and drink, but what I’ve learned is that small changes can produce big results and that it’s better to introduce new healthy foods than to get rid of all the “negative” ones.
Try to introduce 1-2 healthier foods in your diet every week and soon you will realize that you don’t crave the bad stuff that much because your body gets used to the new way of eating. My girlfriend, Roswitha, taught me that it’s easier to make lasting changes by adding good foods in your diet because it produces less frustration.
Change is easier than you think! A study conducted in Sweden showed that by eating only organic foods for two weeks, the pesticides levels dropped by 95%. This is good news because even if all your life you’ve been eating infested foods, you can turn that around in a matter of weeks by deciding to go organic.
It’s not about how much you eat, but about how nutritious is your food. Buying from trusted sources locally can increase the nutrient value in your foods, which will make you eat less and feel better, plus you’ll support the local food market instead of putting money in the pockets of big companies.
10. Bach Flowers Remedies
I’ve discovered Bach Flowers about a year ago, but I’ve only been exposed to their amazing healing power about 6 weeks ago when I went through a tough period in my life (like we all do, right?!) and I’ve managed to get out faster than I’ve ever imagined with the help of these amazing holistic therapy called Bach Flowers Remedy.
Bach Flowers are very similar to homeopathy, but they work on a deeper level, on a vibrational level. I say they are great for overall balance because they work with your emotions and have the power to heal negative emotions. You can use them for anxiety, depression, tension, sadness, but also for perfectionism, procrastination, different fears, self-pity, to bring more faith into your life and to also help you say “no” when you have to.
The remedy was invented by Dr. Edward Bach who spent years experimenting on himself different emotions so that he can find the right remedy in flowers.
Disclaimer: because they work on such a deep level, you need to have patience, this is not an instant happiness pill, but it has the power to make you happier on the long-run. See a professional therapist, give it time and observe the changes in your life.
11. Declutter Your Life Once in a While
A lot of people tend to get stuck to what they own because it makes them feel rich, which in fact, the underlying feeling is lack and that’s exactly what they’re putting into the Universe “I don’t have enough” – this is the exact reason why some people will never get rich or have enough.
On the other hand, when you consciously go through your stuff and donate (or just throw) old stuff, you make space for new ones to come into your life, you tell the Universe “I have enough” and the Universe will provide more so that you will always experience the feeling of “having enough”. At the same time, everything is energy and if you stick to your old things, you risk to do the same on a mental level: old habits, old beliefs, old patterns, etc., which will keep you unhappy and broke.
In order to experience more abundance and prosperity in your life, you have to learn how to circulate energy – be it money, clothes, gifts or just thoughts. If you’ve never done this before, start by just donating two clothing items that you did not wear in 12 months. Two items is enough to give you a glimpse of how it feels to get rid of stuff, but it’s safe enough so you don’t freak out that you’re losing something.
Forgiveness is another form of decluttering your life. If you want to move forward in life, you have to leave some of the baggage behind and choose to see that you’re setting yourself free. Ho’oponopono is a great exercise that will help you release hate, resentments and negative feeling toward anyone.
12. Find Your True Voice
When we are kids, we tend to copy everything our parents do, good or bad because we did not learn to discern yet. But, there comes a time in our lives, if you constantly work on yourself, when you can’t cope with some of the voices in your head anymore, you feel like they are not on your good side.
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That is the moment when you have to stop and ask yourself:
- “Do I really believe that?”
- “Is this my authentic self?”
- “Is this helping me in any way?”
- “Do I still want to listen to this voice?”
It’s a not-so-nice (at times) process of letting go the old stuff, but it’s really just preparing you for the better. Remember that you don’t have to do it all by yourself:
- ask friends to just listen to you and confront some of the voices
- ask your life partner to help you out
- see a therapist for a few sessions – it might be the easiest, faster and most effective way of dealing with this.
This is the exact phase I am going through right now, but I trust the process and I believe it’s all for my highest good because I can’t reach the goals that I’ve set up with the past baggage I am carrying right now, so some stuff needs to go.
Conclusion
These are just some ways that will help you live a happier and more balanced life, but will also help you better deal with frustration, disappointment, and lack. It has been researched that we all have a certain level of happiness (or balance if you want) and no matter what happens to us in life, good or unfortunate events, we tend to bounce back to the level of happiness we had before that particular event.
This means that, if we constantly work on our happiness (or balance) level, we will be able to better deal with all kinds of situations and keep a positive attitude toward life at any moment.
A few lessons to remember from this article:
- taking a short break once in a while can increase your level of productivity and creativity, so just go on vacation
- working with mind maps can develop both sides of your brain which will give you more balance in your everyday life
- making time to play regularly will help you experience more joy, which is a high vibration feeling
- you are what you eat so start adding, at least, one new organic food to your diet every week
- finding your true voice can save you hours of self-sabotage and doubt
- throw away old stuff and forgive people (and yourself) so that you can move into a better energy
Hope this article was helpful and opened up your mind to new possibilities. Let me know in the comments below what are the steps you take regularly to make sure you live a balanced life.
This article was first published on PickTheBrain.com – view original here!
