Cultivating a Well-Balanced Life
BY: KAYLA WRIGHT
When thinking about what makes up a well-balanced life, I tend to focus on four areas: Intellectual, Spiritual, Social, and Physical. By investing in each area and fulfilling our needs, we can find balance and contentment in life.
While living a balanced life is challenging for everyone, I think it is particularly challenging for recent graduates. As a student, there is a certain level of balance automatically built into your life; or at the very least, there are many opportunities available to help cultivate balance. Academic pursuits can help fulfill the Intellectual category. Participating in sports, joining clubs, attending bible study, and hanging out with friends can help contribute to the other three areas.
For myself, I think there was a bit of shock after graduation. I was experiencing a massive change in my life –moving 1,886 miles away from home, starting a new job, and leaving my life as a student behind me –and then realized it was now entirely up to me to figure out how to lead a balanced life. It took time and patience, but eventually, I cultivated a good balance in my life.
I would like to offer you some advice, practices, and habits that helped me create balance. First, don’t be afraid to set boundaries with work. We spend most of our day at work where our job is the priority, so we must shift our focus while away from work to invest in all areas of life. Determine what boundaries you need to establish to set aside work during evenings, weekends, sick days, and vacations. Without some boundaries, you can quickly become burnt out –affecting your work, relationships, and personal health. While your job might help fulfill your Intellectual needs, I would encourage you to seek out other avenues as well! Perhaps you’ve always wanted to learn a new language or instrument, or you’re curious about a particular subject and want to learn more about it. Think about what you enjoy doing that will contribute to your Intellectual needs.
Next, find time in your day to dedicate to your Spiritual life. You can set aside time for prayer, devotionals, worship, or bible study. Starting these habits now will also help you maintain a certain level of peace and stability as you face the unknown elements of life after graduation.
I think the Social aspect of life was what I struggled with the most after graduation, which surprised me. Looking back on it, though, I should have seen it coming. I had just spent four years constantly surrounded by friends, and now I was living in a new state where I only knew two people. I realized that I needed to approach my social life with a new level of intentionality. First, since I was no longer two doors down the hall from my friends, I needed to be proactive in finding time to check in and talk to them. Next, I needed to build my community in Arizona. If you find yourself in a similar situation, take the initiative to join a small group at church, grab coffee with a coworker, or join a volleyball rec league. Even if you make one new friend, he or she can introduce you to more people, and slowly your circle will grow!
Finally, make sure you are intentional about your Physical well-being. I would say that this is probably the most neglected category and almost always in the name of “busyness.” My advice is to focus on these three goals: be active, rest well, and prioritize nutrition. Being active takes many forms; it could mean going for a neighborhood walk, heading to the gym, or doing yoga in your living room –find something you enjoy doing. To rest well, make sure you’re getting the proper amount of sleep each night and building time into your day to relax and recharge (this could look like an hour spent away from screens, and you journal or pray instead). By resting well, you will find more success in other areas of life. Prioritizing nutrition looks like taking time to eat lunch, even on a busy day, or getting into the habit of meal prepping to make sure you receive the nutrients you need during the week to feel energized and focused. Our neural function and brain chemistry are directly affected by the food we eat, for better or worse.
Cultivating a well-balanced life helped me find a sense of stability and peace during a time of uncertainty and change. Finding a good balance takes time and dedication and is unique to each individual. Begin investing in the Intellectual, Spiritual, Social, and Physical aspects of your life now; you'll thank yourself later.
