3 Practices to Cultivate Balance

After years of working in busy, high-stress environments, I became used to ignoring the sensations in my body. I didn’t have time to deal with my own exhaustion when there were 70+ staff members who needed me to lead. And the 600+ kids weren’t going to change how they showed up to school each day because I was irritable or feeling down. The knots in my stomach and elevated heart rate were an inconvenience…or at least that’s what I told myself. 

The reality is that these sensations are a reminder to handle stress in a healthy way. Ignoring them didn’t make my stress go away. Instead, shoving those things to the side just ensured that stress hid in my body in other ways. Waiting, lurking, and building up.  

Over the past few years, I’ve been building self-care practices to help me clear out stress and get back in touch with my body’s signals. During a recent stressful commute, I had proof those practices were working. I was more aware of the knot forming in my stomach, the increase in my heart rate, and the subtle elevation of my temperature. And I was able to quickly bring myself back to feeling balanced. (That commute also reminded me of how to avoid creating my own stress. You can read about that in this post.) 

You may be searching for a more balanced lifestyle, like so many people in today’s fast-paced world. If so, here are a few practices that have helped me create balance and could benefit you, too: 

1. Practice noticing and naming the sensations in your body. Your body may communicate to you in different ways, like a twinge in your side or shallow breathing. Periodically tune into the sensations in your body, both when you feel calm and when you’re undergoing stress. The more aware you are of how your body communicates to you, the sooner you can address stress in a healthy way.  
2. Get curious about the source of your stress. Clearly the cars weaving in and out of traffic and a daredevil motorcyclist squeezing between the packed lanes fed my stress the other day. When I gave it a little more thought though, the real source was fearing for my safety. Once I realized that, I was able to focus on my own safe driving, the only thing within my control. 
3. Breathe through it. “Stay calm and breathe” has been put on so many signs and tee shirts that it’s almost cliche, but it’s still good advice. Breathing stimulates your parasympathetic nervous system which helps bring you into a state of calm by lowering your heart rate and blood pressure. Once you’ve identified your stress and its cause, deep breathing is a way to bring yourself out of the stress cycle. 

After breathing through the anxiety brought on from my commute, I celebrated how far I’ve come in managing my stress. I didn’t let the experience irritate me and throw me off my game. Instead, I showed up to my destination the way I wanted – calm, cheerful, and open. That’s the sense of balance I strive for in my life. What’s yours?