checks and balances

Not sure about you guys, but I’m already feeling a tad run off my feet and it’s only the second week of January.  Seems that returning to work or school after what many call the “silly season” (read: December) can be about as exhausting as the so-called holiday break itself.  Go figure. Last week we talked goals.  Which is awesome.  We gotta have ‘em, and we need to work toward achieving them, or else what are we here for, right?  “I will put $500 a month toward saving for a new car.”  “I will go to two aerobics classes a week for six weeks, then switch up my workouts.”  “I will not put my phone on the table during mealtimes with my family or significant other.”  And so on and so forth.

But just as it’s important to aim high, it’s also important to take a breath.  Ladies like us, who are always looking to think more, do more, be more – sometimes we forget what it’s like to just be.  So in this month of potential overextension in the name of those New Year’s resolutions you just set, do something different: forgive yourself every so often, and remember to check and balance yourself while you’re at it.

What does it mean to check and balance?  Well, for one thing, it’s a clever play on words (we at YWiB are quick and witty, after all).  In all seriousness though, what we mean is to check yourself for astronomically high stress levels, feelings of being overwhelmed or a mind going miles a minute when you really need it to slooooow down.  Then you have to balance yourself.  It can be as easy as inhaling and exhaling.  Or maybe you walk away and go bake cookies.  Whatever it is, whatever you want to do – bring yourself back from teetering off the edge of that really high cliff we tend to climb, just because we can.

Another thing, girls – checking and balancing is a year-round activity!  Working hard means we can and should be rewarded with playing hard.  Life is a balancing act, and we all need a reminder that keeping everything in the air Every. Single. Day. is an unfair expectation to put on ourselves.  Whether you want to lead the department at work, score a 4.0 GPA or learn how to code your own website, remember that it’s okay to take small steps forward and backward.  And it’s also okay to stay in one spot for a little while.  It’s all part of the balance.

Tell us how you check and balance yourself!  Do you go for walks?  Practice yoga?  Have a coffee?  Read a magazine?  Take a Youtube break (sometimes a sneezing panda is all you need!)?  Let us know on Facebook or Twitter (click @ywib to follow us!)!

And if you need another reminder...check out The Sabbath Manifesto: a YWiB favourite, slowing people down since 2010.  Ahhhh...