Among the many issues that women handle, life balance, between personal and professional responsibilities, is the most challenging. One example of this is the juggling activities taken on by
working moms.
How can they balance the responsibilities of motherhood, marriage, Suzy Homemaker and caretaker for their aging parents? Even with this balancing act, often these ladies wish they could fit more into their already overburdened schedules? Effective
time management strategies
become a necessity to finding the ability to meet the various and often competing demands for time and attention. Such a life balance challenge is certainly not limited to working moms. Everyone has had experiences where their lives seem out of balance and out of control. Learning to
take control
of your own life situation is an important skill to hone.
Personal happiness and a sense of fulfillment in life often is not the result of the amount of money you earn or your job title or your social status. Other aspects in life such as good health, strong family relationships, and making lasting contributions to others more needy can provide greater significance in life. Creating a life balance that is comfortable is an important component in establishing this sense of fulfullment and satisfaction in life. However, life balance can shift depending on the stage of life you are currently experiencing. That is why completing the
wheel of life
exercise at various intervals in our lives is helpful.
The exercise identifies your current priorities. You will notice that these priorities and responsibilities shift depending on what stage of life you are in. You could be experiencing the challenges as a new mother, young professional, empty nester or senior. Each of these stages of life have such a different focus that the sources of contentment or stress differ widely from one to another.
That is why your sense of life balance is always fluid and changing. That is what makes life such an adventure. The best advice is to enjoy the here and now with out too much concern with living in the past or worrying about the future. Enjoy your current situation or make a concerted effort to staying focused on improving things. Using your own
stress management tools
that work successfully for you allows you to create your own unique balance in life. There is no "one size fits all" when creating such a balance. The balance is the way you can handle your responsibilities and commitments so that you are comfortable in your own skin. It is a personal thing. Creating life balance for your needs differ from other people's and trying to follow someone else's model may not be effective. This is when stress begins to increase and you can feel anxious, tense or overwhelmed. All because you are not feeling a sense of balance in your life.
We realize that every day you juggle the many demands for your time from work, kids, friends and others. Check your time management strategies and use the results from the
Wheel of Life
to help you see how you spend your time. From the results you can reprioritize the use of your time if you find life is not as balanced as you would like. You can
reduce stress
and enjoy a more rewarding life when you are comfortable with what you are doing and the life goals you are striving to achieve.
Realize that you can not be everything to everyone so stop, take notice of who you are and decide what you can be to yourself first. Then, and only then, can you share yourself with others.
Personal happiness and a sense of fulfillment in life often is not the result of the amount of money you earn or your job title or your social status. Other aspects in life such as good health, strong family relationships, and making lasting contributions to others more needy can provide greater significance in life. Creating a life balance that is comfortable is an important component in establishing this sense of fulfullment and satisfaction in life. However, life balance can shift depending on the stage of life you are currently experiencing. That is why completing the
