Why a Lack of Balance Could Be The Reason You Are Unhappy

And 6 signs you are out-of-balance

Why is balance important?

Balance is vital for every living organism to reach its fullest potential.

For example, a flower is able to grow and thrive fully when the elements of soil, light, and water are in perfect balance.

Similarly, as humans, when we balance elements of our mind, body, and soul and give each its nourishment, we are able to grow and thrive to our highest potential.

It is only natural for you to get caught up in all the things life throws your way and find yourself thrown off balance. Your attention is pulled in a thousand different directions, and you lose track of what is important. In a way, you become a slave to your circumstances.

Are you out of balance?

You know you are out of balance when your body feels sick and tired, your mind feels cluttered and stressed, or your soul feels empty and disconnected.

Here are (6) signs you are out of balance:

1. You feel unfulfilled in your life and don’t know why
2. You feel overworked and burned out
3. You feel you are living other people’s schedules and have lost your direction
4. You have low energy and lack motivation
5. You frequently fall ill and suffer from aches and pains
6. You suffer from an autoimmune disease

The first step in restoring balance to essential aspects of your life is to understand that balance isn’t something you achieve once and remain there. Like driving a car, you must continuously course-correct whenever you veer too much to the right or the left.

How balance looks like in your life is something you must uncover as a result of your own endeavor. You must pause and assess what isn’t working and where you feel the most discomfort or unhappiness. Then, you must calibrate and refine your approach until you release whatever tension or dis-ease created by the imbalance.

When your life is in balance, it may look something like this:

1. You tend to your needs and the needs of others equally
2. You know when it is time to slow down and when to take action
3. You feel motivated, inspired, and in love with life
4. You give sleep as much importance as your time awake
5. You engage in physical activity but rest sufficiently when tired
6. You eat healthily and give your body the nourishment it needs

Balance from the perspective of yin and yang

Balance is represented beautifully by the concept of yin and yang. With yin and yang, everything in existence is innately characterized by opposing yet complementary forces. It is in the balance of these forces that harmony is achieved. Also, with the balance of yin and yang forces, any system can reach the highest potential it was designed for, including us.

Yin and yang can be defined in infinite ways, such as cold and hot, feminine and masculine, dark and light, active and passive, or slow and fast, to name a few.

For example, when you overwork yourself, your imbalance is yang dominant. When that happens, it is time to shift your attention and slow down to attend to your mental wellbeing and restore your yin energy. Similarly, when you feel you have no motivation, your imbalance is yin dominant. In this case, it is time to shift your attention to taking action in the direction of what brings your fulfillment.

Want to know more about yin and yang? Check out this article.

Balance of the mind, body, and soul

The drivers and precursors of human potential are an area of significant study and inquiry. As such, I leave its nuances to the experts. I, however, would like to entertain the idea that marrying aspects of our mind, body, and soul (and finding balance and harmony amongst them) is the way to unlock the doors of perception and achievement and reach the highest levels of fulfillment and joy.

Contrary to what some believe, to achieve high levels of spirituality, one needs to be deeply and intimately in touch with their physical body (with all its needs and desires) and with their mind (with all its thoughts and abstractions). Similarly, for one to reach their highest physical potential in the most sensual way (by engaging all the senses), they must be spiritually and mentally aligned. And finally, for one to achieve the highest levels of mental prowess, each of their physical and spiritual aspects must be in balance.

When there are blockages and resistance to flow in one or several of the three aspects of our existence, dis-ease and pain (in their many forms) arise. That could come in the form of addiction, illness, unfulfillment, stress, or unhappiness.

So, we need to acknowledge the three aspects of our existence and give each mind, body, and soul their fair share of attention. In doing so, we can work through any blockages in the way of our happiness and fulfillment and break free from any self-imposed limitation on our capacity to create.

Final thoughts

Restoring balance to the vital aspects of our lives is crucial to becoming the happiest, wealthiest, and healthiest versions of ourselves.

The idea of restoring balance may seem like a daunting endeavor. However, when we realize that balance is something we must continuously strive toward and perhaps never fully achieve, we can give ourselves permission to live life fully; since we will inevitably become thrown off our center by its whims. So, the crux here is in our ability to pause, assess, and change course in the direction where balance is needed most.

Finally, I would like to leave with a 3-minute to get you started on your journey toward a more balanced life.

1. Take a few deep breaths
2. Bring your attention to an area of your life that feels out of balance.
3. Hold a clear intention of restoring balance to this area.
4. Ask yourself how would a more balanced you look like.
5. Decide on one small action step in that direction and take it.

Namaste,

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