5 ways I've learned balance in 2019

BALANCE! Is this a hard word for anyone else? There is always so much going on and so many places to be. Just when I feel like I catch up on everything, there is another list of to-do's I need to accomplish. Honestly, it seems to never end and I get so caught up in, "How am I ever going to finish everything?" The answer to that question is simple: you aren't! This constant feeling of needing to be perfect in all these aspects of my life left me TIRED. FRUSTRATED. WITH NO ENERGY. It's almost like I forgot what grace even looked like in certain areas of my life. After I hit this point, I reevaluated what I was doing and started to live a more balanced life. Let's be honest-I will probably never achieve perfect balance. BUT I'm in a much healthier place than I was a year ago. Here are 5 ways to help create balance in your life and allow you to thrive.

1. Acknowledge all the GOOD that the Lord has given you. I think it's hard for us to stop and give thanks for all the things the Lord is doing in our life. We go from one thing to the next without acknowledging ALL our blessings. I have made a much better effort to carve time out in my day to simply express gratitude for all the things, big and small, that the Lord has given me.
2. Fuel your body correctly.  It used to be all or nothing for me when it came to my nutrition. I thought I had to be perfect to see any kind of change in how I felt. This is so far from the truth. I have learned balance when it comes to my eating and the kinds of foods I eat. It's been the biggest game changer. I have more energy. I'm not as fatigued. I can enjoy a donut or a big ole' cheeseburger and not walk away feeling guilty. I found freedom through my eating because of the balance in my daily life.
3. Take time to exercise and give your body rest. It's amazing what the body is able to do when you take time to exercise. Once again, this used to be an all or nothing approach for me. Learning how to balance exercise and rest has been amazing. I never understood why rest was important when it came to exercising but now I take my rest days quite seriously. When I allow my body to repair itself, I have a deeper sense of appreciation for how beautifully the Lord created our bodies to do so many things.
4. Carve out intentional time with my husband and my kids. There's always a lot of things going on every week. It's easy to forget to carve out intentional time with the family or for yourself. However, this year my family has been more intentional about putting things on the calendar and blocking off family time. We might take a simple day trip or spend a week away at the beach. Nathan and I are intentional about date nights and one-on-one time with each of our kids. Some of my favorite memories this year have been those sweet moments together. Creating time and balance in our schedule has made that possible.
5. Create space to dream about the future. I am a 7 on the Enneagram AND one of my top 5 strengths is being futuristic. So naturally, my wheels are always turning as I think about what the next week, month, or year will look like. Sometimes, I struggle with being present and in the moment because I'm so excited for what's to come. (I'm working hard on this even as I write!) But the Lord has wired me this way and I've been intentional to leave space for myself as I think about the future. Without those times of dreaming, I'm not sure I would be here right now with this website or blog that you're looking at and reading. Again, life is busy. We are constantly pulled in a million directions. Finding that balance of getting things done and allowing yourself to dream is important! It has become this sacred space for me and I've learned a lot about myself!

Finding BALANCE in the midst of all we have to do is important. It has given me FREEDOM to live with purpose and passion! When we find balance in our ordinary, day to day, we can breathe in the grace we've all been given a little deeper!