“There is no such thing as work-life balance – it is all life. The balance has to be within you.” – Sadhguru
Are you searching for the elusive idea of balance? Do you find yourself wanting and hoping for the day when life feels like you have the right amount of work, play, leisure, sleep, stress, etc? The concept of searching for and trying to find balance is one that can be incredibly frustrating. So what should we do when it feels like we’re always chasing something and never really arrive? One approach to balance is to shift our perspective that it is a feeling we experience when all is right in our world, and instead work to train our attention to be more present in each moment throughout the day.
There are so many responsibilities we have throughout each day with work, family, pets, and taking care of ourselves that it can feel like we don’t have enough hours in the day to handle it all and operate at a high level. Rather than fighting and wishing things were different, we can try to be more fully engaged and present with the task that is right in front of us. When we wish for things to be different than they are, it can create suffering. We build things up in our head, experience anxiety and frustration, and then look forward to the next vacation or off day when we think we will experience balance.
When we shift our perspective, it can be freeing from constantly looking to the future to provide a feeling that never fully arrives. Rather bring more focus to each moment throughout the day. When we’re at work, be at work and productive. When we’re working out, appreciate the 60 minutes you carved out for yourself. When we’re with family, be with our loved ones. When there is nothing on the calendar, appreciate the silence and alone time whether it’s 5 minutes or an hour.
Being more fully engaged with each moment can help us get away from mythical concept of balance. We know our life will be full of moments. Some of them more pleasant than others, and in all of them we can embrace and be more connected to the people, the work, and the activities which will help us to realize balance is not a place or a feeling to be achieved, it’s knowing we can handle and be present with wherever we are.
