Transcript from Stirred By Words 008: Balance
Chrissy Holm (00:05):
Do you love words? Are you passionate about diving into meaningful conversations? Hi, welcome to Stirred By Words, a podcast that focuses on words and questions that impact our daily lives. I'm your host, Chrissy Holm, health educator, writer, curious creature, and now podcaster.
Chrissy Holm (00:42):
Today, we'll start with the health tip. This week, it's yoga. According to the National Center of Complementary and Integrative Health, the health benefits of yoga include general wellness, stress relief, and improving mental and emotional health, sleep, and balance. Research also suggests that yoga may help people lose weight, quit smoking, manage anxiety, and manage symptoms of chronic diseases. Now, I'm not a certified yoga instructor, so I'm not going to lead you through a yoga practice. But some of my favorites that have helped me really get into yoga is Yoga With Adriene, and a few other YouTube channels, and some in-person classes. There are several different types of yoga. So if this is something that interests you, feel free to deep dive into other podcasts or other .gov resources. Whether you're new to yoga, or have been practicing it for years, I challenge you to start small, work with a certified yoga instructor, and find some ways to get more balanced.
Chrissy Holm (01:57):
Now it's time for today's word, balance. Dictionary.com has a few definitions, but I'll stick with just a couple. Number one, "A state of equilibrium or equipoise, equal distribution of weight, amount, et cetera." Number two, "To have an equality or equivalence in weight, parts, et cetera. Be in equilibrium." Fun fact, the word balance was first recorded in 1250 to 1300. And words that are related to balance are equity, harmony, stability, calculate, and evenness.
Chrissy Holm (02:38):
So today's question is what does balance mean to you, and how would somebody achieve it? For me, I like to picture a scale. And on the scale, if you've got 10 pounds, you've got 10 pounds on the other side, so it weighs itself out. But I don't feel like life works that way. When I think of how somebody achieves balance, it's less about the word balance and more about how they feel inside. I feel like we're messy humans, and life isn't going to be perfectly split. We aren't going to have 10 pounds on each side.
Chrissy Holm (03:19):
For example, one of my biggest passions is learning. And I tend to get caught in this little rabbit hole of taking courses, and learning some things online, and reading, and doing all those things. Which is great, but sometimes it does throw things off. If I want to focus on writing, or podcasting, or editing, or my book coaching, I got to remind myself that I can't do everything, and that's okay. So for me, just giving myself that validation, and knowing it's going to be messy, helps to give me balance or that I feel at peace.
Chrissy Holm (04:00):
Now we'll hear from Dr. Melanie G, a work-life psychology coach, and her thoughts to this question. What does the word balance mean to you, and how would somebody achieve it?
Dr. Melanie G (04:11):
Well, I believe that work-life is not as much about balance, as it is about just navigating through the mental fog that can disrupt our emotional and physical health, and ultimately our productivity. I picture it being like trying to balance like a juggler on a unicycle, wobbling around, trying not to fall. And if that's balance, then I typically pass on that. I tend to avoid trying to find balance, because it makes me feel very anxious. What I typically look for and recommend people look for is harmony. Which allows you to just focus on those areas that allow you to be your best in both work and life. Like in areas like your thinking habits, personality, strength, blind spots, and your behavioral tendencies.
Chrissy Holm (05:20):
Today's book recommendation is Take Back Your Time: The Guilt-Free Guide to Life Balance, by Christy Wright. As a busy mom with three young kids and a career, national bestselling author Christy Wright knows what it's like to try to do it all and be stretched too thin. After years of running on empty, she realized she needed to do something different. It wasn't just a matter of saying no to a few things, she had to figure out why she felt overwhelmed, overcommitted, and out of balance. In Take Back Your Time, Christy redefines what balance is and reveals the clear path to achieve it. You'll learn how to identify what balance looks like in your unique situation and season, find confidence in the choices that are right for you. Feel peace even during the chaotic times, and learn how to be present in your life and actually enjoy it.
Chrissy Holm (06:15):
Before we wrap up the episode, I encourage you to ask yourself a few questions. What does the word balance mean to you, and how would somebody achieve it? How do you find balance within your life? If you find that balance isn't the right word, how do you perceive your time?
Chrissy Holm (06:40):
If you have any thoughts on this episode, suggestions for the show, or want to be a future guest, contact me via my website at www.chrissyholm.com. That's C-H-R-I-S-S-Y-H-O-L-M.
Chrissy Holm (06:58):
Thanks for listening to another episode of Stirred By Words. This has been your host, Chrissy Holm. Until next time, keep learning new words, always ask questions, and stay curious, my friends.
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