Being the sort of person who is always focussed on keeping healthy I didn't expect my journey to Balance would mean ditching some of my healthy habits to regain get some much needed equilibrium back into my life. 

As a busy working mum, keeping up with the kids social calendar, school activities and keeping us all healthy is a full time job in itself. For me my health focus is centred around eating healthy and exercising regularly which I manage to do most of the time. With the kids on school holidays and visiting the Grandparents, this was the perfect time to take stock and re-evaluate what balance I really have in my life. 

As a person who is “always on” and constantly doing, my initial instinct for this precious break from the usual routine was to get stuff done. I was going to get my accounts up to date, lodge my tax return, spring clean the house, get my work to do list fully up to date and have a super healthy week so that at the end of the week I could spend a short time revelling in the satisfaction that only productivity can bring, then dive head first back into the daily grind.

I started the week with vigour and was rapidly ticking off my list. Oh how good this felt, no interruptions just getting more and more done. I was going to work through the weekend and really make some headway. While I was on my daily run and planning how much I could plough through over the next few days, it suddenly occurred to me: how good would it really feel to get to the end of this fortnight with everything up to date? Was this really the best use of this precious time to myself? 

What had happened to the care free me that at one point in my life would have relished this time, over-indulged and got nothing achieved? Was I happier then? Over my morning coffee on Saturday I started to think: what am I doing this for? Is getting my to do list done today really important? Should I continue relentless doing or start being? This got me thinking, I spend my whole life busily getting stuff done, keeping health front of mind and when I ask myself why, the answer is always so I have "time to be". The problem is, this time never seems to come and what I realised this Saturday morning is only I can control this. 

So it was at this point I made a decision to ditch the to do list, ditch the exercise, ditch the healthy meal I had planned and let loose. I called my husband (who had already made a start on his own jobs) and told him that the to do list was off, we were going to go into the city for lunch and a slow meander through the park. After first wondering if I was unwell, he quickly agreed, nervous I might change my mind and he would have to go back to the drudgery of cleaning the car. We headed into the city and slowly wandered around the botanic gardens, soaking up the winter sunshine. We then wandered past a Thai restaurant and decided to stop for some lunch. Instead of the usual healthy salad or stir fry I would normally go for, I ordered a rich and spicy Thai curry. It was absolutely delicious. With full bellies we headed home and decided an afternoon nap was in order. What bliss it was to curl up in bed reading a book and dozing on and off. A couple of hours later I rose and my husband and I cracked a bottle of red and got out some cheese and crackers and enjoyed each others company for the evening, remising about old times and planning what we would do with our free time tomorrow. 

Now back at work in my healthy eating, exercising and getting stuff done routine I reflected on my weekend and realised that my journey to balance needs to include time that doesn’t only involve “health” and that is more about “wellbeing”. I have felt rejuvenated this week, much more energetic and have been so productive. For the most part eating healthy and exercising makes me feel great but taking a break is also good. Theres no one answer to balance, no secret that needs to be uncovered. Everyones journey is different but one thing I find pretty universal is people's desire for more time. So when your like me and you see an opportunity to get this highly desired prize, grab it with both hands and make the most of it. My to do list is still there, the world didn’t end because I didn’t get it done. I am still a healthy weight despite enjoying a high calorie creamy curry, cheese and wine all in one day. I could have gotten to the end of my week with everything ticked off which I admit does feel good, however not nearly as good as enjoying good food, connecting with loved ones, sleeping and just being. I wonder would this have felt so good if it were my norm? I suspect not. I could think of this as “doing nothing,” or I could think of this as “simply being”.  As usual its all about perspective and of course balance.