Quality time for balanced stress free living
“Everything has been figured out except how to live.” - Jean-Paul Sartre
How do you truly WANT to live your life?
Do you have a dream of living a “balanced life”? „A balanced life is a myth,” I hear you saying. Well, yes and no.
There are times when all you need is someone in your life to help you find a way of creating the life that you want and hold you accountable.
Today I will share with you one more tool to add to your stress management tool kit: how to reduce stress and reestablish balance your life through creating and spending quality time with family and friends.
Quality Time
When asked to take an inventory of the current life and to create the desired balanced life, spending quality time with family and friends is usually high on my clients’ list of priorities. Priorities ‘wish list’, though.
Women today have too many roles, duties and commitments and are so exhausted at the end of the day that the emotional dimension – the need to cultivate quality relationships- is the first to be dropped. Doing so, your goal was to probably release some stress but in reality you are just adding more. As demands increase, you could feel a sense of imbalance, losing control and helplessness, therefore making yourself prone to stress and burnout.
Nowadays the lack of balance is a major source of stress in womens’ lives. Finding the right balance helps to restore harmony and reduce stress.
What are the key areas to consider in order obtaining desired balance?
“Balance” is not a static or have the same meaning for everybody; it changes depending on your current life priorities.
There is one core rule though – for creating a whole balanced life or “wholeness”, it is important to integrate and consider all of the following areas: physical, intellectual, spiritual, and the emotional dimension.
When you drop spending quality time with your family and friends you distort and neglect the emotional dimension. Those quality relationships make your affective world rich and joyful and they work as a powerful stress reduction tool.
What is quality time?
Quality time is time spent doing an activity that is meaningful to all people that are participating. It is about focusing attention on the other person, listening attentively, and sharing thoughts and feelings.
However, spending time together does not have to be a tiring or expensive venture. In fact, doing something meaningful usually does not cost much, yet the memories last a long time.
Take Action:
Make a date. Set aside some time on your busy agenda for family and friends, and treat it as you would any appointment—something that’s important—not to be missed or rescheduled.
Your date day with family could include anything—playing soccer in a park, riding bikes, playing board games at home, doing crafts with younger kids, cleaning out your closets together to give you an idea.
With friends, it could be a simple cup of coffee and window-shopping that allows you to spend some free time together.
Friends are a great stress management tool, and group get-togethers will allow you to catch up with a lot of them at one go. Don’t neglect it.
What if everybody is too tired and busy to participate?
Start new traditions. Be creative - launch a tradition! People are inquisitive.
Pick a new neighborhood to visit, a new ice cream parlor to try out, or a new bicycle trail to explore.
If doing something outdoors is not your thing, then start a book club gal’s night in and turn this night into social event of the week. Crack open a bottle of wine, sit back and enjoy good time together.
Doing this on a regular basis will create a ritual that you all look forward to.
Giving back to the community. Select a charity and volunteer with your friends or family once a month. You’ll feel great about what you’re doing and your close circle will be there to share it with you.
Selecting an activity that everyone enjoys and is willing to try out is a great way to ensure everyone stays in the program and is committed to meeting.
There are many ways to keep close to your family and friends, and spending quality time with them should rank number one on your list de-stress lifestyle list.
It could take some effort to schedule it in, but the rewards you reap are well worth your time and commitment.
Now it’s time to apply your new stress management tool. You are welcome to share your thoughts and experience in the comment section.
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Inese Millere
