Finding Balance (Pandemic Edition)

Life is all about balance. Ying and yang, good and evil, light and dark. The world stays in balance around us, but there is just as much of an importance on the balance that lives WITHIN us.

The Balance of Highs and Lows. We all have our high and our low days. Days where we feel on top of the world, and then the next day our world comes crashing down on top of us. During college when I held weekly team meetings for the organization I was apart of, I went around the room and asked everyone what their highs and lows of the week was. Low, I’ve been studying all week for this test that I don’t feel that great about. High, the person in front of me at Starbucks bought my drink for me. The high of the week balances out the low, switching the focus on the positive. 2020 so far has felt much like the test we’ve been cramming for in a class we hate for a test that the date has not been set yet, it feels like the low. In those low moments, it is important to remember the highs. Cling to the free Starbucks, to the knowledge and the faith that times will get better. This is just a moment- a blip in the time that we will eventually look back upon. We will share stories to our grandchildren about our generation, and how rough we had it during the Pandemic of 2020. By then, it will all just be a distance memory. In those low days when the weight of the world is on your shoulders, it is okay. It is okay to not be okay. It is okay to cry, to take that moment for all that it is worth. As my mom would always say, without the lows we would never know the highs (and the highs are pretty great). That’s the balance of life.

The balance of work and life. Finding a work and life balance is extremely important to your mental health. In the words of Angelica and Eliza Hamilton, “Take a Break.” As a Type 3 Enneagram personality, finding that balance takes time and effort for me. As a Type 3 of Achiever/Performer, I am a goal-oriented perfectionist who thrives off productively. I feel my best after I have accomplished something I can check off my “to-do” list. This trait keeps me working until all hours of the night, and in the past I would miss out on life being cooped up working (and stressing). About a year ago I made the decision that I want to work to live, not live to work. By that, I simply mean “working,” while I strive to have a career in a field that I love, is not going to be my sole purpose of life in this world. Work is a means to an end, to life. I strive to live that life that I am chasing after, a life where I travel, settle and start a family. A life where my create juices flow and I get the opportunity to make others happy. No missed girl’s nights, or future kids’ soccer games. I strive to create boundaries for my work environment in order to create this work and life balance. I am not saying do not work and just play all day, let that be clear. The message I am relaying is to find that balance, know when to kick it into overdrive and when to relax and take time for yourself. In Quarantine, the line between work/life balance has blurred as thousands of individuals suddenly had home offices. Now, there is no escape from the hustle and bustle of the workplace, no physical disconnection from your home brain and work brain. This is a difficult transition, for anyone not just in quarantine. This is where I began working on my personal, and here are some of the tips and tricks I have discovered to maintain a work/life balance, especially while working at home:

Have a daily schedule, and set work hours. Set your alarm clock everyday and have a morning routine. For example, mine is to wake up around 8:30, go for a run, shower, eat breakfast and have quiet time before I start my day. Not only should you set a time to start your day, but it helps to set your time to end your day as well. Maybe the day ends after you finish this list of items on your agenda. Maybe the day ends at a specific time, like before you make dinner, and then take the rest of the night off. Whatever the case may be, select a time to end and then follow it. You would be amazed as how much creating a solid routine helps the balance.

Unplug. Turn off your phone and set it aside. Facebook is not going anywhere. Just for an hour or two a day, fully disconnect from social media and begin to see the peace that it can give you. Starring at your screen, especially as the recent news updates have not been the merriest, causes stress for both your eyes and your heart. Take a moment away from the harsh screen. Breathe, and focus on what you can control: you <3

Take time for yourself. Plan a night off, cook dinner with your family or have a girl’s night zoom call. Plan a night where you completely unplug from work and focus on being in the moment. I challenge you to do one thing for yourself every day, start small. Maybe that one is going to the gym. Maybe it is taking a nice, relaxing bath. It could be hanging out with friends or watching a movie with your family. No matter how big or how small, do one thing for you. You deserve it.

The balance with food and exercise. One of the hardest balances comes to working out and eating healthy. Within the past year, I have lost around 30 pounds and my relationship with food has never been stronger. After trying fad diets and counting calories for years to lose weight, I finally gave up. Instead, I kept myself accountable and set realistic goals for myself: I wanted to become the best version of myself. I wanted to become stronger and leaner. Through this, I started working out more and more, putting most of my focus into my F45 classes, which then became OrangeTheory, and recently added daily runs. During the time of this pandemic, I have started a new relationship with cardio. I was someone who used to laugh in the face of treadmill and joke about how my greatest fear was marrying into a family that would run a Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving. Now, I run between 3-5 miles daily (thanks quarantine?) This mental transition with the relationship I have with my body and the power I posses has been one of my biggest areas of growth these past couple of months. Food still continues to be my favorite thing on this Earth, but I refuse to let it control me, my attitude or the thoughts I have about myself. Changing my lifestyle to be more healthy all around was a goal that in turn gave me the results that I have always wanted. However, I refuse to give up my love of carbs: pizza, pasta, cheese, the three great loves of my life.

Life is about balance. Ying and yang. Good and bad. Highs and Lows. Work and life. Exercise and food. Finding the balance that works for you takes time and dedication. Know that you are not perfect, and the balance is not always going to be perfect, and that is okay. Think of the balance as a scale—sometimes it tips towards one side, and sometimes it will go far to the other. In the end, it still balances out all the same.