Balance
Whenever I talk to a friend who is anxious, worried, going through hard times, or agonizing over a big decision, I tell them to go running. They don’t usually take me seriously. But running is one thing that I can always count on to make me feel better. There is something about the regular, rhythmic motion that sets my mind free from the little circles it is running around in and lets me relax. Afterwards I feel really good– not just physically, but mentally. Problems I thought were gigantic settle into perspective and I can think more creatively about how to solve them. I don’t run very far or fast, but it works.
It’s common to talk about "work-life balance," as if work and life were competing forces threatening to crowd out all your waking hours in a day. To put things very simply, I think you want to be happy about your life and what you are doing with it. You can think quite a bit about all the different factors you want to balance, and how you want to allocate your time between your goals. But what is most important is not figuring out precisely how to carve up your time– it’s recognizing when you are NOT in balance– when you are anxious, worried, stressed out, unhealthy, and don’t have the energy to do the things you want to do. In this kind of state, your perspective gets kind of skewed, and what you think are your best, most carefully-designed plans are likely to be good for nothing at all. I’d say, go running (or swimming, hiking, or biking) until you feel better.
scientiae-carnival
Amen. Being active was the only way I survived grad school, and the only way I can keep my sanity now.
Comment by Jane — July 31, 2007 @ 5:50 pm
Exactly. That’s exactly what running does for me.
Comment by profgrrrrl — July 31, 2007 @ 6:49 pm
You are right on - getting “out” by foot or bike is exactly what I do to regain balance and perspective if I’ve lost them.
Comment by WayfarerScientista — July 31, 2007 @ 8:43 pm
I used to do this, but it is harder now that I’m a parent…
Comment by Lab Lemming — August 1, 2007 @ 12:08 pm
I totally agree.
When under stressful situations, we tend to zone in so much on the details and immediate issues, that we lose sight, lose strategic view of the more important things to us. It happens to me eveerything as well.
Running is definitely one way to “distract” our mind and enable us to refocus our attention to the “strategic mode”.
Comment by Lawrence Cheok — August 1, 2007 @ 1:59 pm
I agree that recognizing unhealthiness is the first step. The hardest step is figuring out what to do about it. Getting outside is always the best option–if only to get outside! Congrats on the job, and getting one in a place you want to live.
Comment by Sfrajett — August 7, 2007 @ 4:14 pm