February’s Balance and Behaviors

As we moved from January, focusing on the body, into February, focusing on behaviors, we can see how they might be connected. How we feel will affect how we behave. How balanced we are in our body will affect how we feel about our self. How we feel about our self affects our judgments of self and others. And here it is! How we feel about our Self, our life, and others affects how we behave.

We have the things we HAVE to do, we must do.

Example: Unless you want to be homeless, you create income to pay our bills, to be self-sustained and financially solvent for the lifestyle we chose. Unless you want to be toothless, you go to the dentist. Unless you want to be sick, you go to the doctor.

What do you HAVE to do? We have the things we should do, that may not threaten our livelihood, but they are necessary for our social life and well-being.

Example: Exercise, eat right, call aunt Lucy, check in on friends, clean our homes.

What SHOULD you do? How about doing things we want to do? Yes. It is possible that they do fit in the same categories as the others, however, often they do not. How would you like your week to look like? How much free time do you have to do what you want to do?

Example: Hobbies, Volunteer work, just relaxing in your way.

What does balance mean to you? What picture, what thought comes to mind when you think of balance? Is balance important to you? If so, how do you create balance in your life?

Take 30 minutes and go through your week. Fill in the columns to see how much time you spend on each column. What do you do during the week, how do you live, and do you like what you see? When we become body-aware we often become more aware of how we feel in each situation during our day. Do you feel comfortable or uncomfortable as you’re going through your activities? Do you feel depressed, irritated, indifferent, or happy? Do you have an attitude?

When we become body-aware we often become more aware of how we feel in each situation during our day.

With that in mind, put a number from 1-10 next to your note that indicates your mood for each item. 1= I don’t like this, 5= I don’t mind this, and 10= This makes me feel great!

Click here to download and print out.

Even more important, what do you want to do? Have you had enough time to yourself to become clear in how you would like to live your life? As we take an honest look at our behaviors, and self-reflect on our intentions and motives we might, with enough willingness, see some behaviors we could change.

One good question to ask is, “What’s my motive?” Right now, in this moment when I’m doing this . . . what is my motive? At any time, in any conversation, this question can guide us to stay on the path of integrity. As you discover more about yourself and your behaviors, choose one behavior that you would like to implement, or change. Use the BEAM LiFE meditation to learn how deeply rooted this behavior is, or how hard it has been for you to implement a new behavior.

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After the meditation, write down your feelings and thoughts. This is the beginning of change. If you are feeling daring and wish to join our challenge, comment below with your reflections