Finding Balance in Life: Starting Simple in Your Household

Having balance in life is something that most strive for, but also struggle to achieve and maintain. Finding this balance even more difficult during times where stress is more prevalent, and as a result sometimes symptoms of depression and anxiety begin to surface.

Throughout this post I focus on four key areas in which I provide expert advice to reduce stress levels. I recommend starting with the relationships within your household, to set a foundation for a balanced life.

Facilitating Harmonious Communication

• Be Flexible. It’s important to adapt to different situations.
• Practice Empathy.  Put yourself in their shoes to try to sympathize or understand other people’s problems before reacting. This can help you remain objective without emotionally reacting.
• Be Responsible. Take responsibility for any task or anything that you may have unknowingly contributed to that causes someone stress.
• Practice Effective Communication. Work towards adapting your communication style to other styles or emotional language.
• Be Encouraging and Facilitate. Try to ensure attention is maintained and encourage participation and cooperation while guiding your household towards objectives.
• Practice and Model Active Listening. Listen to what people have to say and try to validate their feelings, it doesn’t mean you have to agree but rather you’re showing you’re trying to understand.
• Give and Receive Feedback. Be open to receiving and providing constructive feedback. This way you can figure out what is working and what is not allowing for collaboration on ways to improve things for everyone.
• Be Diplomatic. Reconcile disagreements and work to create an atmosphere that puts people at ease.
• Support Conflict Resolution. Help to Identify, suggest or facilitate solutions to people that are in disagreement.

Create a Balanced Household

• Be like a Consultant. Facilitate problem solving or task accomplishment for household members.
• Be a Coach and be Coachable. Wear multiple hats of mentor, guide and resource person and be open to your partner and family member doing the same.
• Be a Leader or Co-Leader. Rally people around individual and family values where everyone is considered.
• Be Service Oriented. Help to meet each person’s needs and satisfaction within the household without “Self-Violating”.
• Make a Commitment. It’s important to show commitment to the relationship or family vision and objectives while factoring in your own.

Strengthen Relationships in Your Life

• Be Authentic. Be true to your word and actions.
• Be Emotionally Available. Make it known you’re there for others.
• Be Open. Accept and respect different values. Work towards finding a bridge between any differences that may be required to support harmony.
• Be Tolerant of Differences.  Be accepting of others even if their customs or beliefs are different; remember we are not “clones” of one another.
• Be Supportive of your Partner and Family Members. Work to understand needs and expectations of others so you can help them reach their goals.
• Act with Team Spirit. Show solidarity with your partner or family decisions even if your point of view is not completely adopted.
• Show Discretion. Respect confidentiality of personal information that is shared.
• Model Interpersonal Communication. Work with others using open and honest communication while respecting different opinions.
• Show Recognition. Express appreciation for individual households members successes.
• Model Interdependence. Find a balance between dependent and independent that works for you and your household members. It is important to have some space in your togetherness.

Mitigate Conflict as it Arises

• Represent the Relationship or Family. Value and demonstrate equality in relationships.
• Create a Healthy Climate. Foster a household environment which encourages cooperation and team spirit.
• Inform. Facilitate the flow of information.
• Support Consensus. Rally others
  around a point of view without causing resentment.
• Support Cooperation. Actively communicate and interact with others in a positive manner.
• Work as a Team. Collaborate for win-win goals in order to cooperate with others to meet common objectives without “Self-Violating”.

One Step at a Time

By implementing even just a few of these considerations into your life, you will start to notice a shift in your life balance. Having those who you’re living with do the same, often leads to healthy learning and growing together. As you evolve together, you foster a deeper connection and a harmonious relationship. This improved household environment will ultimately put you and your loved ones on the path to achieve balance in your lives.

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