3196: Be Better at Balancing it All by Rachel Shanken of MindBodyWise on Self Help & Personal Development

[00:00:00] It's only a kick, a jump, a block.

[00:00:08] It's only a serve. It's only a tackle.

[00:00:12] A run. It's only for the fans.

[00:00:15] After all, it's only pressure.

[00:00:18] You got this.

[00:00:20] Adidas

[00:00:26] We took it all. We brought them to our land.

[00:00:31] An endless night. Ember hot and icy cold.

[00:00:36] The rage of the earth. We made this curse.

[00:00:42] Carved it in the blood on our backs. We did not see. We could not, but she did.

[00:00:49] What will I become?

[00:00:51] Senua's Saga. Hellblade 2. Play it now with Game Pass.

[00:00:55] This is Optimal Living Daily episode 3196

[00:00:59] Be better at balancing it all by Rachel Schenken of mindbodywise.com

[00:01:04] And I'm your narrator Justin Malik reading you articles to help bring a bit more positivity, happiness and motivation to your day

[00:01:12] So now let's get right to it as we optimize your life

[00:01:20] Be better at balancing it all by Rachel Schenken of mindbodywise.com

[00:01:26] Be better at balancing it all.

[00:01:28] There's a picture in this post where I'm about seven years old posing happily on a floor balance beam

[00:01:34] Only one month before I had been selected as the newest member of the gymnastics team. In this picture

[00:01:39] I see a little girl beaming with pride and joy.

[00:01:43] I absolutely and completely loved the sport of gymnastics

[00:01:46] Gymnastics consumed my every minute. When I wasn't in the gym

[00:01:50] I was daydreaming about it. And for many of my childhood years cartwheeling was my primary mode of transportation

[00:01:56] It was fun, fast and easy. Ah the days of youth

[00:02:01] Aside from gymnastics, although not much mattered to me besides gymnastics. I loved hopscotch and jacks and ping-pong

[00:02:08] As the years progressed, I became more serious about the sport

[00:02:12] I was training every night of the week after school and competing every weekend

[00:02:16] My coaches were tough and the pressure to push the boundaries of my abilities and my fears was constant

[00:02:22] My life, thoughts, feelings and body were consumed by rigid rules and expectations of precision and perfection

[00:02:30] What I realized much later in life through a lot of personal work and a yoga therapy session that integrated this realization for me

[00:02:37] Was that the strict rules of the balance beam had been internalized in my psychology and became the metaphor for how I lived my life

[00:02:45] Where there was a right way and a wrong way, where timing was vital and where every nuanced movement meant huge success or major failure

[00:02:54] My thoughts, decisions and choices in life left little room for freedom, creativity

[00:02:59] Or simply the idea that there are many right ways to be

[00:03:03] Life felt falsely

[00:03:05] Safer and clearer, moving along a self-imposed narrow mental path much like a four-inch balance beam with little room for error

[00:03:13] However, the freedom and fun of sloppy fast cartwheels through open grassy fields and hotel lobbies was long gone

[00:03:21] Gone were the days of hopscotch using random objects or rocks found on the side of the street as pieces and

[00:03:28] lopsided boards made with broken chalk

[00:03:30] Although I looked graceful on the outside

[00:03:32] I was robotic and rigid on the inside. Not much balance there and the illusion of safety was long gone, too

[00:03:40] It's important to note the gifts of the balance beam part of me have served me well. I can be organized, structured,

[00:03:47] Reliable and highly productive

[00:03:49] They have also worked against me when needing to allow for possibility and mental flexibility

[00:03:54] Which is possibly one of the most vital keys to living a happy life

[00:03:58] So when the occasion calls for it

[00:04:00] I've had to learn how to access the hopscotch playing messy cartwheeling part of myself and let the structured balance beam part

[00:04:08] Take a rest

[00:04:09] Sometimes I consciously access both of these parts and when they work together in tandem

[00:04:13] The balance of the two creates amazing things including a nice big exhale in my body and mind

[00:04:20] Being able to consciously choose which part to access has taken a lot of practice

[00:04:25] Is required that I tap into all of myself and do my inner work

[00:04:29] Why am I sharing this story with you?

[00:04:32] Here's why because so many people struggle with creating balance in their lives. Maybe you do too

[00:04:38] Remember your internal challenges are reflected in your external challenges

[00:04:43] For example, if you struggle with balancing work with fun

[00:04:46] This is reflecting something out of balance that lives inside you

[00:04:50] If you struggle like I did and sometimes still do with the balance between structure and responsibility versus spontaneity and creativity

[00:04:57] This originates from inside you too

[00:05:00] Some core struggle or block keeps you from equilibrium in your body and your psyche

[00:05:05] I know this is pretty deep stuff, but it's true. If you peel a few layers back

[00:05:10] I know you'll find that is true for you too

[00:05:13] Balance is a practice that shifts and changes just like you it's a process

[00:05:19] 30-second exercise

[00:05:21] Stand on one leg lift the other leg straight out in front of you as high as you can

[00:05:26] Try to stand tall on your spine. Don't lean back

[00:05:29] Bring your arms straight up by your ears. Keep both legs straight

[00:05:33] Continue lifting the leg that's off the ground higher hold this for at least 30 seconds then lower your lifted leg

[00:05:41] Reflect on your 30-second physical balance experience. Did you notice wobbliness? Did you eventually come to equilibrium?

[00:05:48] Maybe just as you found your center you begin to wobble again. Maybe you fell

[00:05:54] Body balance works the same as internal mental and emotional balance. It's never permanent

[00:05:59] It's always shifting and there's always work required to come back to equilibrium

[00:06:04] You will wobble you will fall out sometimes and sometimes you will get it just right

[00:06:10] The beauty is that when you learn what balance feels like in your body and your mind

[00:06:15] You can more readily access it any time under any circumstances

[00:06:20] Have you considered the emotional impact of being out of balance how to get to your deeper layers?

[00:06:26] How learning to balance to these parts of yourself can enhance your life your relationships your mental health your attitude

[00:06:33] Your work your appreciation for a life your mood your success

[00:06:38] Worth some consideration. No for me. It has been a game-changer

[00:06:43] PS keep peeling the layers and oh the life adventure you'll have

[00:06:48] You just listen to the post titled be better at balancing it all by Rachel Schenken of mind body wise

[00:06:59] Calm and I'll be right back with my commentary

[00:07:03] We took it all we brought them to this night

[00:07:10] Ember hot and icy cold the rage of the earth

[00:07:15] We made this curse

[00:07:18] Carved it in the blood of our backs. We did not see we could not but she did

[00:07:25] What will I become?

[00:07:27] Senua saga hellblade to play it now with game pass

[00:07:32] This episode is supported by FX is clipped the scandalous story of the 2014 Clippers owners racist remarks

[00:07:39] Captured on tape and heard around the world the series charts the tapes impact on a dysfunctional basketball

[00:07:46] Organization striving to win against their reputation as the most cursed team in the league starring Lawrence Fishburne

[00:07:52] Jackie Weaver

[00:07:53] Cleopatra Coleman and Ed O'Neill

[00:07:56] FX's clipped streaming June 4th only on Hulu

[00:08:02] Thank You to Rachel I could relate to that feeling of being

[00:08:06] Robotic maybe rigid on the inside where there isn't much balance

[00:08:11] And sometimes we don't even notice these things

[00:08:14] So for the first 30 years of my life, at least I think I define myself as someone with little stress and anxiety

[00:08:23] But reflecting thanks to the articles we hear on this podcast. I realized things were much different than I thought

[00:08:29] I mean, I wasn't picking my hangnails as a kid for fun

[00:08:34] That was definitely some kind of coping with anxiety probably I might not have shown it a lot

[00:08:39] But I think it was more internalized like much of my emotions

[00:08:43] It's interesting how we can define ourselves completely differently than reality for years

[00:08:50] Only to figure it out much much later and

[00:08:53] Again, hopefully that's what this podcast does for you as it has for me over the years

[00:08:58] Helping us figure out the truth of what's really going on inside us

[00:09:02] Many people go their entire lives not questioning any of this

[00:09:07] But I think it really has the potential to make our lives even just a little bit better

[00:09:12] So thank you to Rachel for this one. And thank you for being here and thinking about this kind of stuff along with me

[00:09:19] I couldn't do it without you coming back to listen

[00:09:22] Have a great rest of your day, and I'll see you tomorrow where your optimal life awaits