Achieve Balance With The 7 Aspects Of Wellness: Learning To Dance With Life

Life is constantly in a state of flux, and the 7 Aspects of Wellness are no exception.

As you grow and change, different Aspects of Wellness will periodically take the spotlight, and others will temporarily recede into the background.

Awareness of these aspects will allow you to better gauge when your focus is too strained or too singular, and then to regroup and regain your equilibrium. Think of a tightrope walker, constantly checking and adjusting his balance. Because he’s practiced for so long, he does it naturally, without even thinking about it. And with a little practice at balancing the 7 Aspects of Wellness, you’ll soon be a natural, too!

Becoming conscious of the life areas that need attention, and making a sustained effort to create your own health and happiness, will allow you to feel like your best self. So instead of perfection—which doesn’t exist, anyway—set your sights on awareness and balance. And relax! Remember that the goal of balance isn’t to stay static, but rather to learn to dance with life and keep things as level as possible. This is much more natural and realistic, and it’s also much more interesting!

While taking the time to grow in one area usually has positive effects on all the other areas of life, the opposite is also true: Neglecting any one area completely will eventually lead to an imbalance that can break down your sense of peace. This is how the 7 Aspects work together to create balance. Think of a balanced lifestyle as a relatively flat line with the 7 Aspects running along the line like a ruler. If one goes up and another goes down, the lifeline becomes a wave and life becomes more chaotic and stressful:

If, however, you work to bring healthy, moderate action to these areas—for example, a little less time spent in one area to free up time and energy for an area you’ve been neglecting—and the line becomes more even, creating feelings of serenity, accomplishment and fullness. Rather than feeling tossed on the seas of life, you’ll become more able to manage events as they occur. You learn to meet (and enthusiastically greet!) life as it is, in the present moment, because you’ve made your life into a calm reserve for handling unpredictability.

Maintaining balance is a lifelong process, and because human beings—and life in general—will always be unpredictable, it’s simply not realistic to expect to maintain absolute balance all of the time. There’s no “perfect” destination here. It’s all about progress, not perfection. The idea is to take small steps toward balance as best you can, so that any imbalances that do occur (and they will occur) don’t jeopardize your overall health and happiness.

As illustrated by the earlier examples of imbalances in the different Aspects of Wellness, it’s easy to fall out of step. It’s part of the path to progress, which will examine in a little more depth later. But it’s always possible to work out the problems, first by identifying and accepting the trouble spots (and accepting yourself as you are), and then making the necessary changes.

So what’s the payoff for this balancing act? Simply put, it’s happiness. Yes. Really. Happiness—that feeling most people claim to want more than anything else. Health and wellness are synonymous with happiness and peace. When you’re experiencing the suffering that results from a lack of balance, it can be impossible to enjoy even the best moments, accomplishments and relationships. But cultivating balance brings contentment, which is just another way to say happiness. Balance creates an internal stillness, a confidence built on steady emotional, physical, intellectual, environmental, social, occupational and spiritual health. With such a foundation, you become your best possible self, living your best possible life.

Author’s Bio:

The 123 Feel Better® Life Change System™ is a wellness program designed to help individuals reach their wellness goals and live fuller, more complete lives. 123 Feel Better is based on the 7 Aspects of Wellness™ model. Learn how to make real changes in the areas of Emotional, Physical, Spiritual, Environmental, Occupational, Social, and Intellectual Wellness to create a balanced life with 123 Feel Better and our free wellness resources at 123 Feel Better.