It's May! I can hardly believe it. Living in Boston now, spring here is still quite cool. They even shut down stand up paddling on the river because of 'low water temperatures.' Which I don't completely understand since most boating activities --- kayak, sailing, or SUP --- are mostly done on the surface of the water, but alas there it is.
Considering the week, or actually the last few weeks that I've had, I decided the theme of this month of May is :
B A L A N C E
WHAT IS A BALANCED LIFE?
What does balance mean to you? What does a balanced life look like? This would be the perfect journaling prompt question to take to a cafe and ponder for 15 minutes or more! And because it might seem like a big, overwhelming question, let's break it down even more.
HOW WOULD YOU F E E L IF YOU HAD A BALANCED LIFE?
First, I always like to start with our feelings. Sometimes we might not know what we want to DO, but we know how we want to feel in a certain moment. How would you feel if you had a Balanced Life? What words would you use to describe your everyday feeling? Calm, refreshed, recharged, relaxed, energized, motivated? How would you like to feel when you first awake? Ready to jump out of bed to attack the day? Languishing in bed and contemplative? Afternoon? Evening?
WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL BALANCED DAY?
You could start with thinking about what an ideal day looks like to you. And I don't necessarily mean on vacation, and just lying on a beach all day with umbrellas in your cocktails, though if that's your ideal days --- that's fine too! What I mean is on your regular, everyday type of day, what does your ideal day compose of? What kind of various activities for it to feel BALANCED?
Is it composed of lots of physical activities? Time with family? Girlfriends? Doing a hobby of yours?
If you have a full-time job Monday to Friday, what are your ideal hours that would make your life in balance? What other important things do you also want to be doing around your 9-5pm during the weekday, so you feel you are IN BALANCE?
WHAT DOES YOUR IDEAL BALANCED YEAR LOOK LIKE?
Now, if we have even more of an aerial view from your day-to-day life, what would be your ideal, balanced month or year look like? What kind of trips would you like to plan? Maybe there is an annual retreat you'd like to go on, or visiting extended family overseas, more travel to new countries.
I would also add that living A Balanced Life, doesn't mean that everything's perfect, or we don't have any struggles or challenges. Right? Life is filled with obstacles and surprises --- that's what makes it so interesting! I know-- I'm the first to protest, "But I don't want any more changes or surprises, thank you very much!" But then again, if I knew everything that was going to happen day after day I think I'd go crazy.
So, a balanced life is a goal that we're aiming for, that we're constantly tweaking and readjusting to the different challenges that life is always throwing at us. To ensure our life doesn't just take on the direction and whims of others, it's crucial that we first are aware of what we are aiming for. Now let's break down all these questions into journaling prompts for the week:
For your Daily 10 Minute Journal this week:
1st Day ~ What does a balanced life mean to you? How would you feel? In the morning, evening?
2nd Day ~ What would an ideal balanced day look like?
3rd Day ~ Pause; Rest
4th Day ~ What would an ideal balanced year look like?
5th Day ~ What are the different components that make up a balanced life for you? (Time for family, friends, yourself, travel, hobbies, work, etc)
6th Day ~ Rest
7th Day ~ Do 1 activity (it can be small) that you feel would help you to be more in balance this week. (For example, allowing yourself to rest via nap or acupuncture or curling up with a good book after a long day/week, even if it means leaving the dishes!)
If you like --- you can copy and paste these questions into your calendar or somewhere you can easily see it everyday, and refer back to them throughout the week!
I'd love to hear how it goes! Reach out to me at shiuan at shiuan butler dot com !
Have a lovely balanced week!
XO ~