5 Signs You Are Out Of Balance

We all get busy. Busy is something we can expect from time to time. But when we start giving too much of our energy and focus, we can get out of balance. Today we will look at the 5 signs you are out of balance, and then look at the consequences, and what you can do.

The 5 Signs

There are five signs that I look for when I am considering the balance in my life.

Nothing Is New

My mother and I talk every week on Skype. When she asks, “what’s new?” I really try to tell her what is going on. Unfortunately for the last few weeks, nothing has been new. I have been going to work, coming home, working and going to bed. Nothing else. I have gone nowhere, seen no one, watched nothing, done nothing.

A balanced life should contain episodes of things that stand out. They don’t have to be big things, but rather something that captures our attention. If nothing is new, then your life is not in balance.

Your World Seems Smaller

I noticed that my world seems smaller. I have only seen the area between my house and the school. The same houses, streets and routes. It was like my life had contracted to the 4 miles between them. Even on weekends I was still in the same area.

A balanced life should give you openings to new experiences. The experiences don’t have to be life-changing, but at least keep you from getting tunnel vision. If your world is closing in, your life is not in balance.

Unusual Fatigue

Along with the experiential aspects of being out of balance, I notice that I have been unusually tired. I might be getting enough sleep, but the strain of working all the time sucks the energy out of me faster than a beagle eating dinner. At first, I thought it was just adjusting to the new schedule, but I soon realized that it was more than having to get to work before dawn.

A balanced life is one that gives you opportunity to build up your energy stores by varied activity. If you are out of balance, you are going to be tired.

Lack of Motivation

Along with the fatigue, I find that I have no motivation to do anything. Even when I have taken time, I am so relieved to not be working on some level that I can’t do anything but vegetate. I don’t necessarily wait to be motivated to do something — if I did, my housework would never be done and I would never use my kitchen. But at the same time, I also can’t force myself to push through all the time. It’s just too exhausting

A balanced life is one where you are interested in doing things. If you are out of balance, you are going to not be able to get started on even mundane tasks.

You Are Dropping The Ball

The biggest sign that I am out of balance is that I start dropping the ball. I am notoriously busy…besides work, I am also a Girl Scout leader, active in our Girl Scout management, lead a committee at my church, and write the blog. I have a lot of balls in the air. And when I start dropping them because I don’t remember to check my task list or I forget to write them down, I know that I am out of balance.

A balanced life is one where no one area dominates. If you are neglecting important areas of your life, your life is not in balance.

I Am There With You

I just want to let you know that this is something I am dealing with now. Switching from IT into teaching high school has meant a lot of things have changed. My waking/sleeping hours have shifted, along with the makeup of my days. Plus I have noticed that I can spend hours looking for ways to catch my students’ attention, analyze their progress, and work on lesson plans.

It was taking epic proportions. I realized I was doing my contracted hours at the school, staying after at least an hour each night making photocopies and planning lessons, and then taking grading home with me. I was working 18 hour days without really realizing it, and because I enjoy it, it didn’t seem like much of a burden. But I was also getting grumpy, and things that I had ignored while doing this were starting to become Major Issues.

I also realized that the path isn’t sustainable. Having had issues with burnout in the past, I knew that I was in dangerous territory for me. So I had to pull back.

What Balance Is…And Isn’t

So now that we know the signs, let’s take a look at what balance is…and isn’t.

First of all, balance is not rigid.

Balance is not a pie chart where you allocate a certain amount of time and/or energy to what you are doing.

Balance is not a scale where you measure everything out and set the sides equal to each other. (Although as a math teacher, this visualization appeals to me greatly).

Balance is more like walking on a balance beam. You have to make little adjustments with every movement to make sure you don’t fall off into an undignified heap.

Balance is about knowing what is important and using those things to guide your path through your day. It may be adjusted at any time, and it will be different from day-to-day and week to week.

What Happens If You Continue Unbalanced

Once you realize you’ve become off-kilter, you need to correct the problem. There are three things that are going to happen if you continue to live in an unbalanced fashion:

• Emergencies crop up. Those things you are neglecting may not seem like a big deal, but when the laundry tries to eat you as you pass by, or the unpaid bill causes additional charges (or termination of service), then the neglected items have become emergencies. These types of issues are entirely unnecessary.
• Burnout. Living unbalanced too long is a great way to burn yourself out. You will end up nice and crispy, with your nerves raw and your brain a bowl of pudding.
• Shift of centering. If it goes on long enough, you will get used to it, and it will become the new “normal”. In my daily spiritual practice I make sure that I center myself inside my body. It’s important for physical balance. If my center of balance is off, I have a tendency to walk into walls and doorways. Unbalanced living can case a shift in our other centers, and leave you walking into emotional and intellectual walls.

So what can we do, if we know we are unbalanced?

Finding Out Where You Are

The first step in any journey is knowing where you are. In order to know where things are unbalanced, you have to know how you are spending your time.

And that means a time log.

No, don’t turn away. Time longs don’t have to be done in 5 minute increments. They don’t have to be done as you are working your way through the day. But they do have to be done over a period of time, and they have to be easy to use.

I’ve created a time long in Google Sheets and Excel version as well.

Take a week. Take a snapshot. See where you are.

What To Do About Lack of Balance

So now you know where you are lacking, and what you need more of and less of. But what to do next?

You need to bring it back into balance. I’m sure you know what is important in your life. Coming back into balance is about making your intentions match your actions.

For those of you who support me on Patreon, I will be making this a bit more concrete. I will be sending out a balance assessment and planner on Wednesday. If you want to get access to this exclusive content, please support me on Patreon. For as little as $1 a month, you can have the exclusive content I send to my supporters.

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So how unbalanced are you? What will you do about it? Leave a comment and let me know.

Image by rjw1. Licensed under Creative Commons. Text added.