Reflection ✏️
Take care of your mind, your body will thank you. Take care of your body, your mind will thank you.
- Quote by Debbie Hampton
I believe Balance is the key to a happy and healthy life.
Go too far or hard into one direction and observe how other areas of your life start crumbling and shrinking.
Life is a balancing act between a dozen different things at the same time, and if you get it just right, it will feel amazing.
I had times in my life in which I focused a lot on getting strong. My mantra was “strong body, strong mind” or “healthy body, healthy soul”.
And I got quite good at being strong, so much so that I was doing less of the other things I was supposed to, in favor of the gym. Like studying, for example.
So when the time came for the exams, I had to scramble to get up to speed with my classes. That left me drained and stressed, diminishing my training progress, and sometimes even preventing me from going to the gym because there was so much to catch up on.
I could have invested a little less time around all things gym, and studied more consistently. Then I would have had an easier time overall + kept my strength gains over the exam period.
Because those definitely suffered when I had to reduce training volume, and maybe also ate worse through those times of higher cognitive loads.
Maybe you will be wiser now and keep a better balance between your physiology and psyche.
There are many things that help us to perform at peak capacity. Training of the body and mind are only two of those things.
There is also the time we spend with our family and friends. In which we forge new and stronger bonds.
Going on vacation to see new places and gain new impressions.
Just relaxing.
There is a time and place for everything.
My mom used to say that, and I used to roll my eyes.
A wise woman, indeed. And I only recently have started to become less of a fool.
It’s not always easy to find the right balance between all the things. To moderate yourself and practice Temperance, like the ancient Stoics.
I have tried many systems to stay on the path. To do what is right in every moment.
In the end, a loose list of the things I consistently want to be doing works best for me, that I can review daily.
Too much rigidity can produce a sense of force or stress on yourself. Be mindful of that.
I like to “just know” what comes next, instead of following a strict regime. If you are less of a feeling-type personality you might enjoy a to-do list type approach, and some more rigidity, however. What I don’t recommend is winging it completely. Believe me, that rarely works outside of emergencies.
I recommend you experiment with several systems until you find the one that works for you. That will be the perfect one, and help you to moderate your time, and efforts in the best possible way for you. So you may always know what the next right thing is for you.
Learning 💡
The Stoics teach us to practice Temperance (moderation) and Justice (to do the right thing).
It is a careful balancing act to do all the right things in just the right dosage.
It takes time and practice to perfect it, and everybody is a little different in what is just right for them personally.
Feedback
Now I’d love to hear from you.
What situation have you dealt with where you had to balance between body and mind?
Or maybe you have another great quote regarding Temperance? Don’t hesitate to submit it through the form here 📝
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