How Well Do You Maintain Balance?

If trying to maintain balance in your life makes you feel like a tightrope walker, you’re not alone. Most of us have so many demands on our time and energy, life can feel like a three-ring circus. Take this quiz to see how well you are meeting responsibilities, while also recognizing and fulfilling personal needs and wants.

True  False

Ο   Ο 1. The only way I can successfully manage my life is to take care of myself physically and emotionally.
Ο   Ο 2. Nurturing myself enlarges my capacity to help others.
Ο   Ο 3. I eat healthfully and exercise regularly.
Ο   Ο 4. I get check-ups, go to the dentist, and take preventative precautions.
Ο   Ο 5. I set aside personal, quiet time for myself, whether I’m meditating or simply letting my thoughts drift.
Ο   Ο 6. I experience the gifts of each season: ice skating, sledding, bundled-up beach walks; gardening, hiking, more time outside; camping, swimming, barbeques; harvesting the bounty, gathering wood, spending more time inside.
Ο   Ο 7. Creativity nurtures me, too. I do what I love, whether that’s cooking, drawing, painting, writing, dancing, singing or another creative pursuit.
Ο   Ο 8. Reaching out to others enriches my life. I spend quality time with family and friends.
Ο   Ο 9. Contributing to the world provides connection and purpose, so I give my time, energy and experience where it is most useful.
Ο   Ο 10. I notice and heed the emotional signals that tell me I’m out of balance: irritability, overwhelm, resentment.
Ο   Ο 11. If I feel that I’m catching a cold, I realize I may have stressed my immune system with overactivity, so I stop and take care of myself.
Ο   Ο 12. When I need or want to, I say no to requests for my time.
Ο   Ο 13. I listen to and honor the requests my body makes for such things as a nap, a walk, green vegetables, hot soup.
Ο   Ο 14. If I have something planned for myself, I don’t just toss that aside when someone makes a request of me.
Ο   Ο 15. I’m busy, but I find time to do the things I want to do.
Ο   Ο 16. I’m happy. I regularly experience well-being, contentment, even joy.
If you answered false more often than true, take a look at the questions to which you answered false and see if you can incorporate something of its message into your life.

If you would like help in finding more balance in your life, let’s talk … schedule it now.

Denise Hansard is a former corporate pricing expert turned motivational speaker & life coach with a Masters in counseling who has coached hundreds of women to make 6 figures, find the love of their life and get super healthy. Author of “Suffering in Comfort” and Writer for the 24/Seven, Change your Attitude, Change your Life magazine, she is an expert in transformation.