I fit into this stereotype last year.  I was working up to 80 hours a week in my job, then scraping any additional hours I could find to work on my Internet business.  It’s only when you’re being lifted into an ambulance that you realize just how dumb this approach to life really is!

During my convalescence I had plenty of time to reflect on how to maintain the balance in my life.  We all need to find time to switch off and re-charge our batteries – and I don’t just mean during our annual holiday!  This needs to become such a habit that it’s positively ingrained in who we are.

Still, it’s one thing realizing this, but what can we actually do to make a change?

The first and most important thing is to simply be aware of it.  Realize that if you try to power through everything, something will give at some point.  It could be your health, it could be your relationships, it could even be your job!  If we’re aware of how our lives are affecting us, we have the power to start making changes.

After recognition comes action.  We now need to start taking steps to find moments when we can recharge without it having a negative impact on our lives.  You’ll find that once you put these ideas into practice they’ll more likely have a positive influence on you, but when you’re coming from a place of stress these ideas will seem counter-intuitive.  So here are three ideas that you can implement immediately to help you bring balance and perspective back into your life.

1. Take a Lunch Break

Too many of us skip lunch.  The issue isn’t just that we can digest lunch better if we’re not stuffing down a sandwich whilst trying desperately to finish a report.  The whole point is to get away from the office for a while.  Like I said, it seems counter-intuitive that you could get more done by going out for lunch, but it really works.  Try it!

When we really step away from the office at lunch time, we’re giving our minds and bodies permission to wind down a little and hence recharge.  Our brains will give the work that we were worrying about before lunch over to the subconscious mind that can do a better job of finding solutions for you, leaving your conscious mind free to choose which sandwich you want and how you want your coffee.  You also introduce a little extra exercise into your day just by making the effort to go out.

Finally, if you go out with others, don’t talk shop!  Use the time to get to know each other better and to simply socialize.  You’ll find that this makes it even easier to recharge over lunch.

2. Take an Eye Break

Many of us today spend all day staring at a computer screen.  This puts a subtle strain on us as we immerse ourselves in the content and often forget to blink.  I know I’m not the only one who sits down “for a few minutes” only to be reminded hours later that people are still waiting for you…!

Every 15 minutes or so, sit back and take a quick stretch and focus on something in the distance.  You’ll feel the benefit immediately and it will help you to re-focus when you’re ready.  This technique also helps to relieve tension in your eye muscles which can be the cause of headaches and other tension related problems.

3. Be In The Moment

Very often we’ll be doing something and we’ll be thinking through the potential consequences of what it is that we’re trying to achieve.  Human nature is such that we only ever seem to think of the worst case scenarios!  This can add to tension that we’re already carrying with us so we need to avoid this as much as possible.  If you do catch yourself off on one of these “what if” journeys, ask yourself how likely that terrible outcome really is, what evidence supports it and what you can do to mitigate it.

Far better though, is to avoid this situation altogether by being “in the moment”.  That means to try to operate from a place where the past is irrelevant and the future unimportant.  There’s only the here and now where we’re simply doing the best that we’re able with the tools and the information that we have.

To do this, I find it helps to focus on something.  If my work isn’t distracting me sufficiently to keep me in the moment, then I’ll often sing a children’s song in my head!  This has the effect of not only keeping me in the moment, it also makes me smile as I keep thinking about what others would think if they could hear the funny tune that I’m singing!

Look, it’s your life and you can do with it as you please.  I did – and I ended up in hospital!  Please, do yourself a favor and find little moments in your day when you can take a few seconds, a few minutes or even an hour or so to recharge your batteries.  Please come back here once you’ve tried these techniques and share your experience in the comments below.

Warm regards,