The idiot's guide to balancing the scales (of life)

I feel like lately I spend every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every SINGLE day, worrying about something else that I could or should be doing with my time. When I'm studying I'm thinking about blogging, and when I'm blogging I'm wondering what photo I could put up on instagram, and when I'm instagramming for myself I'm thinking what should go on to the work instagram. And it's not just technology wise. When I'm falling asleep at night I plan my gym routine for the next morning, and at the gym I'm making a mental list in my brain of everything that needs to get done for the day while at the same time trying to go harder and faster on the x-trainer than the woman next to me who's at least 40 years older than me and 10x fitter, dammit! When I'm eating breakfast I'm thinking of all the amazing  meals I could make for the week if I could only find the time and motivation to do it every day. When Im with the boyf I worry I'm not spending enough time with the girls, and when I'm with the girls I feel guilty that I should be studying. It's a never ending cycle of over-thinking every little task and constantly searching for ways they can all balance to create that so-called perfect life! Are you all with me??

My idea of the perfect life (for this present moment in time) is one that involves a seamless and stress free flow of daily tasks and commitments. Exercise, health, good food, great friend and family times, amaze times with my man, keeping on top of uni, working as much as possible and enjoying it, planning exciting holidays and getting enough beauty sleep every night. Its simple really and not too much to ask for right? RIGHT! It's just that sometimes the task of balancing it all can get rather exhausting and it can all feel like it's too much to stay on top of.

I have definitely been going through a stage recently where I've taken a lot on, and although I love to be busy, the extent of 'go go go' has gotten a bit hard to manage sanely. This is the point where it's time to BREATHE, de-stress and put things into perspective. Yes, it is possible to fit everything I listed above into one day, but no, it is not necessarily going to be good for me to try and do this. I'm just going to burn out!

Balance is the key word here, and no matter how much or how little you have crammed into your days, I really think that there is nothing more satisfying than feeling that calming balance in your lifestyle. Realising that you are managing it all and it is making you happy rather than stressed makes you feel like superwoman/man!So if it means you have to cut out a couple of things and postpone them to the next day, or discover more timely ways of doing everyday tasks then kudos to you! You are on the right track to feeling super and chilling the hell out.

Also, one thing I discovered a while back is that you should never compare your life to somebody elses, because it usually only creates sour feelings. Sure, the girl at work is super pretty, exercises every day for more than an hour, only eats a raw salad every day for lunch, has the newest Alexander Wang bag, is climbing the ladder faster than you at work and never gets a run in her stockings, BUT guess what, there are a whole lot of things you don't know about her and, big surprise, her life is never as perfect as you assume it is. There's also loads of things she envies about you that you'll never know because you've got a badass case of the green eyed monster. Comparing lives and wishing you were as capable, or as lucky, or as motivated as someone else, will never make you any of those things, it'll just keep you trudging down a mediocre road of unsatisfaction. You gotta put yaself out there and take a big step (or a giant leap) to change things for yourself.

Have a think about everything you did today, and think about which of those things made you happy, and which made you angry/stressed/annoyed etc. Some of those things that sparked negative feelings can't be cut out of your life completely but they can definitely be changed by putting a different spin on them. For example, I HATE my accounting unit with a passion, it is at the top of my enemies list right now and there is nothing I would love more than to quit so I can stop feeling so crap everytime I don't understand it or shout out to whoever will listen how 'bloody stupid' it all is. But, I can't stop it, it's a non negotiable for my degree so tonight I made a list of all the good things I can get out of learning accounting, and honestly, it made me feel a lot better about it. Putting a positive spin on things is the greatest way to say goodbye to those feelings of dread towards a non-negotiable in life, and trust me, you will feel 100 times better for it.

Last night I watched a little video that the beautiful Rachel Magahy from In Spaces Between made (perfect timing I must say!). She talks about the notion of balance in your life and suggests some great ways to keep everything in check. Watch it here. Check out her entire blog, it has gorgeous words and images of inspiration, recipes, home ideas, life ideas and more (am i making it sound like an episode of Better Homes & Gardens? sorry! It's really not, it's super chic and amazing!).

You see! Everyone around you is fighting the battle of the balance, and it can be a difficult one, but never fear my lovelies, be strong and make changes for the better. It's not fun being stressed and feeling the tip of the scales, but it's very possible to get even again and reap the benefiits that come with it.

Hope you enjoyed my rambles ;)

Goodnight

xxx