Every little thing takes so much energy! How can I be productive? 

Our elder has some tips to help this letter writer achieve balance in their life.

 

Dear EWC

Hello there, I’m 21, living in a small town and studying English. I was diagnosed with OCD for almost six years and I’m taking some meds for it and most of the time I find it really difficult to juggle between tasks. There are always a lot of things I can or must do but I’m always too tired and stressed out to do anything. I can never have a productive day since every little thing takes so much of my energy and I always want to rest or sleep. Normal people do a lot during the day and they manage everything so well and I just can’t. They study, work part-time jobs, exercise, hangout with their friends, deal with their partners and they always have some spare time to watch movies and read books and they’re active on social media as well. All of this seems like a huge deal for me and I just don’t know what I got to do and where to start.

 

Sage replies

Everyone longs to be healthy and happy. A well-balanced life is critical for living well and healthy, for peace of mind, and for feeling effective in our lives.

Because your life is so filled with stress and frustration, finding balance becomes extremely important. You are deluged everyday with responsibilities, things you have to do, and navigating a world filled with anger and polarization. It takes a toll.

Being out of balance causes you to be stressed, leaving you with a negative frame of mind and feeling exhausted. It affects your work performance and our relationships. You may have physical health problems and find little happiness in our lives.

Balancing your life means putting in activities that you enjoy, find pleasure in, and look forward to doing. It’s the things you want to do, not things you have to do. Exercise, yoga, reading, writing, traveling, etc., are just some examples of activities that can balance out your responsibilities. But you must put in effort to change your behavior patterns to build in these activities.

A well-balanced life will lead to good health, good relationships, and good spiritual connections. It can be a buffer against adversity and enrich your life with meaningfulness and purpose. To balance your life, you must start with a determination to find enjoyment and pleasure in your life.

Living a balanced life involves being able to set boundaries and saying” no” to more responsibilities and requests. It means showing self-respect and self-care while also doing what you have to do. It means setting priorities and not over committing oneself. Living a well-balanced life is a very potent way of surviving this stress filled world.

Balance is not a destination, but a constant journey. You might feel out of balance from time to time, and that’s okay. Don’t approach it with a perfectionist mentality; accept the good enough.

Here are tips to get started on achieving balance in your life.

1. Integrate all aspects of your life. Stop seeing work, personal time, and social times as separate compartments. Rather than competing against each other, they should collaborate. Removing this imaginary wall will release a lot of tension. Integrate all aspects by applying learnings across them all. https://www.habitsforwellbeing.com/time-to-integrate-all-areas-of-your-life/
2. Prioritize your activities. Knowing what matters the first step is. Finding balance requires saying no to something else so you can do what you want. Most of the time, we blame others, but we are the ones that are not making a choice. Let go of unnecessary tasks, ask for help, be open to adjusting your goals and priorities. https://soulsalt.com/how-to-prioritize-your-life/#
3. Develop a balanced mindset. Balance is not something external; it lies within you. When something is bothering you, ask yourself why? An out of balance context can definitely affect you but training your mind can neutralize part of the noise. Balance is a state of mind, not a productivity hack.
4. Prioritize relationships. The quality of your life depends on the quality of your relationships. A successful career can bring you professional satisfaction and financial stability. But it can also make you feel lonely and discontented. What good can a good career and a beautiful house do if you have no one to share it with?
5. Form and nurture healthy friendships. It may take effort and confidence to start a friendship, but the benefits are countless. You also have better chances of fighting mental and physical illnesses if you have good social support.
6. Make time for yourself. Whether you like to hike mountains or read books, it’s good to set aside time to enjoy yourself. You don’t even have to spend money to de-stress and unwind. You can just schedule a day of relaxation where you’ll do nothing at home. It’s good for your body, bank account, and even your brain.

During your day of rest, it’s best to focus on what makes you happy. Avoid checking your work email or continuously following the news cycle. Stepping back even just for a while can be good for your mental health. Try to take some time away from social media and binge watch a series. You can also try out new hobbies like calligraphy or photography.

7. Be present. Do not struggle with distraction. Staying present can help you complete tasks, stay connected in relationships and help with focus. Multitasking will not help you complete your work faster and can create imbalance and frustration in your day. Stay in the moment–sights, sounds, smells and tasks.
8. Let go of perfectionism. Nothing leads to more procrastination and unfinished projects than perfectionism. Let go of perfectionist tendencies preventing you from getting more work done. Instead, make deliberate choices about what tasks are truly worth your time. This means deciding a task has been done well enough. After all, everything you do doesn’t have to be perfect.
9. Learn to say no. Setting boundaries and learning to say no is crucial to managing your time effectively. The best way to learn to say no is to be firm and direct. For example, if you are asked to host a party for a friend, instead of saying yes, you could respond by saying, “Thanks for asking me, but I’m not able to.”  Remember you’re saying no to a request, not a person
10. Improve your diet. One of the best ways to make a long-term improvement in your life is by modifying your diet. It will make you healthier and perform better at work or in school. Plus, you can also avoid painful and expensive hospital trips by developing a healthy eating habit early on.
11. Don’t worry about things you have no control over and practice letting go and rolling with the punches.

Life isn’t meant to be solely for work or play. It’s all about balance. You also don’t have to completely change up your life to achieve it. You can make changes and improvements one by one at your own pace.

You may think that living a well-balanced life may seem impossible. Think of one small change you can make right now that will help you to live a more balanced life. But don’t put it off! 

Seek professional help if you are unable to put balance into your life., especially if your OCD is a problem with you letting some things go.

Article #: 480396

Category: Self-Improvement