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A BALANCED LIFE

Written by: James Ladd

Article Overview: Our lives are at the very least complicated and at times very difficult. The pace and the demands of living make it extremely difficult to keep things in there proper perspective. When that becomes a concern for us it is helpful to think of our lives as being dimensional in nature, affording us an opportunity to create a more strategic approach to maintaining good health. Keeping the four dimensions of self; physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual in balance with the dimensions of life is the one challenge in our lives that we all share in common.

A BALANCED LIFE

In last month's bulletin I wrote to you about the financial equivalents for life's pains and pleasures (Money, Health and Happiness).

This month I discuss the importance to your health of keeping the "dimensions of self and of life" in balance.

The dimensions of self include; your physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual well-being. The dimensions of life include being; alone, with others, at work and away from work. You are the four dimensions of self in the four dimensions of life.

Your physical self is your body and of course the dimension we are most aware of. Your body image, energy level, weight, muscle tone, strength, flexibility and cardio-vascular endurance are all representative of your physical self. Examples of what contributes to your physical self include; exercise, diet and sleep.

Your intellectual self has to do with knowledge, your abilities to think and to communicate, the processing of life's experiences. The ability to perceive and discern, make judgments in the best interests of your self and others. One's openness and fluidity to knowledge, learning and new experience is directly related to health and growth.

Your emotional self is your feeling side, most often referred to today as "Emotional Intelligence." Your ability to stay in for emotional experiences and be able to understand and express those emotions is central to this part of self. The more an individual is in touch with their feelings and can manage them appropriately, the more his/her energy can run freely and the more awareness he/she can bring to relationships with others and at the same time grow within the self.

Your spiritual self is that part of you that is searching for the meaning to your life, sometimes referred to as self-actualization. "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how" (Nietzsche). Your relationship with God, where you fit in the universe, the natural flow, these are some of the spiritual questions.

As we move through our lives, every attempt should be made to keep the importance of this balance in our minds in order to minimize the inevitable damage that distress does cause.

For example, there are times when we nurture ourselves intellectually through education and/or our accumulated work experiences as we grow in our career. At other times we nurture ourselves emotionally and spiritually when we choose to marry and raise a family. If we choose to exercise with any degree of regularity we are nurturing our physical self. Keeping the self in balance with life becomes a difficult task even at the best of times because of where we find ourselves and the pressures we experience at the various stages of our lives.

Helping my clients to identify and action what is necessary to keep their lives in balance is an important part of the service I provide.

James Ladd
Life Coach

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Article Tags: balanced life, dimensions of self life, emotional, intellect, pace, physical, spiritual



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