Family Health and Balance

“Balance” is a theme for maintaining family health. Balanced eating, balance with quiet time, work time and play time, balance between time spent with children and time spent with your spouse- all are parts of family health. Balance is an important component of most any aspect of family health. One example, Narayan, our toddler, is a very demanding friend, indeed. From the moment he opens his eyes, in the morning until bed-time, he requires a lot of attention. In contrast, Patrick, my husband, and Gus, the cat, are much less demanding, yet, no less important. Thus, the varying degrees of attention given to Narayan, Patrick and Gus, can make for a rather unbalanced focus of energy. And while, it only makes sense that our toddler would call for more intensive energy, I have gone an entire day without making eye contact with Patrick (and certainly, the cat). After awhile, my husband felt neglected and Narayan became a tyrant. Not good for family health. So, I set an intention to better balance my attention among my three family members for increased family health, and I believe it’s working! One simple strategy to achieve balance in this area, was to make sure to complete a conversation with Patrick, once started, before attending to the needs of our toddler, unless, of course, Narayan was in danger. This simple intention has increased our family health, as Patrick feels more important and Narayan is learning patience.

Self-compassion is an important element to include in our journey toward balance and family health. Most of us are occupied with a myriad of commitments and responsibilities, each day. Simply setting an intention to increase balance in any area is a step toward increased family health. Go easy on yourself and your family if your efforts for balance are slow to implement. Lasting change usually occurs incrementally.

I would recommend beginning your family health balance plan by taking an inventory of how your days are spent with regard to your family and identify areas where more balance would increase family health. Seek the input of your family members about areas where they would like to strive for better balance. Make sure to build time each week for play, as play is a critical component for family health. Keep your weekly appointment to play together, even if you elect to spend thirty minutes a week playing in the back yard or taking a walk in your neighborhood. The rewards of your play time will be surely felt by every family member, even if it takes some getting used to.

I wish you the best in increasing balance in your family! In-joy!