When considering life balance, we often focus on balancing different life areas, such as work and personal life. However, the sense of balance in our lives is more deeply influenced by how well we meet our individual needs.
Getting Started
What do we need to feel balanced and view our lives as harmonious?
At first glance, achieving balance might seem to involve juggling and reconciling different life areas. However, on a deeper level, it is more closely tied to fulfilling our core needs.
Focusing on Needs Over Life Areas
The key distinction between fulfilling needs and balancing life areas lies in the fact that individual needs—and the ways we meet them—can differ significantly from person to person.
For instance, if my work fulfills a significant portion of my needs, I may require less free time to feel balanced. On the other hand, if I can only meet many of my needs outside of work, my free time becomes much more critical, and I need to prioritize it to maintain balance in my life.
Self-Awareness
Fulfilling your needs starts with self-awareness. Without a clear understanding of yourself and your needs, it becomes difficult to determine how to effectively meet them.
Self-Determination
Once we gain clarity about our needs, the next step is to determine how they can be fulfilled while aligning with our goals and intentions. Successfully achieving this balance reflects a high level of self-determination.
Implementing Intentions
Equally important is the ability to act on your goals and intentions by dedicating enough time and energy to bring them to life. Successfully doing so reflects a high level of intention-implementation competence.
Life Balance
Regardless of the level of stress you face, self-awareness, self-determination, and the ability to implement your intentions are key to satisfying your needs and achieving a balanced life. It’s not just about working less or spending more time on hobbies but about identifying your needs, determining how to meet them in daily life, and taking action.
To gain a clearer understanding of your needs, consider the following questions:
- Which of your current activities satisfy your needs the most?
- Which needs are not being met, and how does this show up in your life?
- What does “doing something good for yourself” mean to you? Which need might this relate to?
- What feels particularly difficult or uncomfortable for you right now? Could a specific need be neglected in this area?
- What is preventing you from meeting a particular need?
- Are there alternative ways or areas in which you could satisfy this need?
- What is one concrete step or action you can take to satisfy one of your needs? What else might you consider?
You can use these questions to reflect on your needs and their impact on your life balance. Take some time to write down all the answers that come to mind. Additionally, you can discuss these questions with your coach in an upcoming session. Together, you can explore your needs, examine various ways to achieve balance, and uncover strategies to fulfill your needs effectively in daily life. This collaborative approach can help you understand the importance of your needs and how to address them meaningfully.