Overcoming Busy

Getting Back To A Balanced Life

August 19, 2009 by Marci

photo by Matthew Dutile

In our daily lives, we can experience seasons of jam-packed, crazy schedules that make us feel like we are living in our car and that we have no control over where we are going.  We can also experience times of just being lazy, staying at home and accomplishing nothing.  Along with those extremes, there can be times of balance and harmony.  Having experienced all of those in the past 6 months, I am reflecting back on what I have learned from each.

As the school year ended last spring, I couldn’t wait to just park the car, sleep in and let the lazy days of summer take over.  Our lives got busier during those last few months of school no matter how hard I tried to avoid it.  It seemed that our schedule was running us instead of us running our schedule.   Our activities and obligations were overtaking the way we really like to run our household.  We were all stressed.  We needed a break.  So, this summer, we pretty much said “no” to everything except for a couple things that were just fun for us and hung out at home.  I have to admit, the first 6 weeks of summer were really relaxing.  Then, we turned a corner.

Rest and relaxation are good for a person, but only for so long.  It seemed the more relaxed we became, the lazier we became.  We got out of our routines and rhythms.  At about 6 weeks into our “unbusy” summer, the kids started getting on each other’s nerves and getting bored.  I started noticing the house not looking as put together as I really like it to be.  We all got stressed!  The same kind of stress we get when we are crazy busy and feel out of control!  How could that be?  I thought the packed calendar and outside demands were making us stressed out!

Think of a time when you were really enjoying life.  (Hopefully, that is now!)  Were you experiencing pure rest and relaxation?  Or, were you running at a frantic pace?  If you are like me, I was doing neither.  The best seasons of my life have been when I was living a balanced life of activity and rest.  I did not have a clear calendar, but it wasn’t full of un-necessary obligations either.  Our family didn’t stay home every night.  We had outside activities, but within reason.  I didn’t spend my entire day cleaning the house, nor did I panic when friends dropped by.  We had daily routines that kept our house and lives under control.

So, as our season of rest and relaxation comes to a close, we are getting back in balance.  Our routines and daily household schedules are being put back in place. (morning and bedtime routines, meal planning, daily chores, etc)  I can feel the peace starting to settle back in.  The key to a peaceful, harmonious household is not shutting ourselves off from the world or diving into the world head first.  It’s all about balance.

Keep checking back for more posts on balance, routines and schedules.