Body, Baby, Balance

I have written countless posts about balance. Many of those posts talked about scheduling, priorities, and work-life balance. Other posts compared balance to walking on a tightrope or trying to keep juggling balls up in the air. I have talked about it a lot!

So, when I came across a new idea related to balance, it made me stop and think.

“Balance is the core of health. We feel and function best when our body’s systems are in balance, and when we’re in balance with friends, family, community and nature.”

These are the words of Dr. Bruce Perry, from the book “What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing” which he co-authored with Oprah Winfrey.

​In all my writing, reading, and thinking about balance, I never really gave a lot of thought to balance in our physical body. I have been so focused on the outer balance of “life”, I overlooked the role our physical body (and mind) plays in all of this.

Dr. Perry explains physical balance starts in the womb while hearing the rhythmic sound of our mother’s heart. Once born, a baby cries when their environment slips out of balance. They are picked up, rocked, bounced, or cuddled. These rhythmic motions shift the baby back into balance. The discomfort and distress are relieved, calming the baby.

This explanation makes complete sense in terms of a baby. This level of care is expected, we know we must comfort the baby often in the early months of life. In turn, our attention helps teach them how to self-regulate. Once they reach the stage of self-regulation, do we pay less attention to inner balance? Sure, we still think about how sleep and food impact our moods, but do we downplay the impact our feelings and health have on our overall balance?

Dr. Perry also writes “Stress is what occurs when a demand or challenge takes us out of balance – away from our regulated ‘set points’. When we get out of balance, we become dysregulated and feel discomfort or distress. When we get back into balance, we feel better.”

How does that make you feel to read that? It made me pause. This definition of stress means we are taken out of balance multiple times a day. Not only that, but the most important thing is that getting back to balance helps us to feel better. Speaking from my own experience, relieving the stress does subconsciously feel better, but I do not take the time to acknowledge this relief. Usually, crossing off one stress means moving onto the next, which throws me back out of balance again. It’s no wonder the days can feel so chaotic, constantly shifting from balance to imbalance, distress to comfort.  This new perspective has given me more to think about and explore (and I’ll probably be writing more about it again in upcoming posts).

Speaking of exploring, I hope you will register for the Awakened Mother Series, launching tomorrow, June 21st. I have joined Isabelle Bridges for this practical interview series and am so pleased to be among this fantastic group of empowerment-experts including authors, coaches, postpartum specialists, trainers, and more!
 
If you’re ready to wake up to your life; if you’re ready to overcome the overwhelm and start living your dreams, this interview series is a must! Click on this free pass to participate in "The Awakened Mother."
 
Until next time, be aware of when you are in and out of balance. Acknowledge the impact it has on you. Identify the ways in which you can shift from distress and discomfort into balance and relief.

Heart-FULLy yours, 
Kacey

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Image by Emphyrio from Pixabay