Home » Posts tagged 'balance'
Tag Archives: balance
Being Creative in Balancing Relationships
Man is a social animal, and we need each other for emotional support. The pandemic is the classic example when the world is in lockdown. Many are feeling the brunt of not being able to communicate, hug, and interact with their extended families.
Now, although the immediate family is in the same four walls, emotions are running high as mostly our thoughts and ideas don’t agree.
As a writer, I have observed that my creativity is the lowest at that point. My ego-filled mind and intellect run parallel, just like two railway tracks, and I can’t pen a single word without frowns and disappointment.
I can feel the train of thoughts chug by in my mind with no interaction from the intellect since the track is parallel. As a writer, I see the sunrise and sunset without getting any inspiration to pen since I choose to brood over an argument that happened within my four walls or choose to lament over what my teen did or could have done in his spare time.
Sigh!
But as the weeks ticked by and spending family time amidst board games and movie nights, I realized there is no such thing as winning an argument amidst family.
When you win, you usually don’t win. And when they win, they don’t win. The best outcome is a tie. If you both can walk away equally satisfied—or even similarly dissatisfied—that’s the real challenge. And the real win.
Easier said than to be doing in practical life. I made a few pointers that I eventually embraced to find that inner peace to start my penning.
Be in the moment
That requires the art of being aware of an argument in the first place. I had to be mindful of my surroundings—my thoughts, feelings, and body. And also be conscious of the people around me. Most of our communication is felt or seen before it reaches the verbal realm. Being fully present…is the key.
Stay Present
I realized I’ve been eluding my teen’s presence. I would do this in subtle and subconscious ways.
Most of the time, we are in a constant state of avoidance. By avoiding, you are telling people in your life that something is more important than them. Going back to the first point…become mindful of their presence will help solve this issue.
Make Time
Too much to do in the lockdown, but less time. Are you also multi-tasking, like me? Then, how would you become fully present in any conversation?
As Malcolm Forbes said, “Presence is more than just being there.” Being fully present focuses all of your senses on the task or person at hand. Being mindful for a couple of minutes a day and see what you notice.
Since I work from home, multi-tasking was a band-aid solution to fill my void, which became a habit even during the lockdown with family around. I could feel myself becoming overwhelmed. How could I dismantle myself from this over-scheduled and over-committed life for my search for Balance?
Set Boundaries
Can’t say No to family requests that usually involve cooking their favorite foods could lead to overwhelming emotions that could, after a few weeks, lead to spew of venom. Creating a boundary where each respects their space gives all the privacy and yet the privilege to enjoy each other’s company, is the key.
Energize the Mind-Body
Taking time to exercise is very important. The mind also needs our love and undivided attention every day for a few minutes.
Embrace an unprecedented time
Lately, the news of COVID is that it’s airborne. Now, to embrace the new change of not stepping out without a mask and maintaining that social distance should be the mantra. Again that allows us to be mindful of our actions when in public and be in gratitude to be in good health to venture out in the first place.
All the above steps are tedious, and honestly, there are days when my mind gets exhausted before the physical body. But, aren’t we the intelligent souls here, we can fight out any times. Let’s continue to find that inner peace and be able to continue with our passion…writing.
Finding the Balance—Healing through Creativity
Over the years, negativity and fear have adversely affected our relationships, environment, and health. That has resulted in violent crimes, global warming, financial crisis, and planetary shifts. We all have seen the transformation happening in our pace of life. The result is an imbalance in our energy, and that has lead to a poor connection with our fellow humans.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
We always wonder about the above question, don’t we?
This question has been around for ages, and the answer is still unknown.
The question we always pose is: How can we balance our lives amidst the chaos prevalent inside and outside us?
Balance word is not just a noun, but also a word that can throw us off a see-saw if we do not hold our grip. It’s like a tightrope walker walking on a line. It’s intricate, so the walker uses a balancing pole in her hands while walking on that rope.
The same holds for all of us. We want a balanced life. Be happy. Be content with the success and the bounties. But are we truly there?
Most of us spend our lives looking for answers; some pretend they got the answer, while a handful of us look for signs from the Universe.
I feel balance comes when we are present in our lives. And one can only be present when we are internally aligned.
The internal alignment comes first, and then the balance is experienced externally.
All of humanity is in search for that balance.
Balance is not only intricate within us, but also plays a vital role in our environment. It is a universal search, and it stretches around us and is within us at a cellular level. Our body’s hormones function courtesy the balance. We see many examples daily, such as when the seed sprouts. It is due to the balance in the conditions of water and oxygen that comes into play. The balance between the air pressure and the feathers and firm muscles make the birds fly. The balance of our constellation that allows our planet to spin and continue to make it our home.
Now that we realize that balance is critical for any living being.
This balance about a human comes from being mindful of his/her emotions. That energy that you exhale out is potent. It comes through your spoken or written words, and just your physical presence.
We can choose to pollute our environment and bring chaos by the choice of our words, or we could filter them and expel only to balance our surroundings and make it beautiful.
In this column, I will explore how we individuals who love to write can fertilize our thoughts mindfully, and deliver our work with love. We can use protection on our thoughts and conceive them intently. This can help create that balance within us so that we can continue to heal the world around us via our words of positivity and wisdom.
There is a Native American parable about a grandfather who says; I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the vengeful, angry one. The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one.” When asked which wolf will win the fight in his heart, the old man replies, “The one I feed.”