A Healthy & Balanced Life
- Britta Van Dun
- Oct 26, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: May 24, 2025
Intuitive Health & Healing's tips to help you reduce stress, increase wellbeing and achieve work-life balance.
When people arrive in my office, they often are struggling with burnout, spending too much time in the office or struggling to grow the motivation to achieve their goals. It's why I put together a list of my favorite top 5 best practices for maintaining life balance
1. Breathe - In a safe place (not driving for example), close your eyes or allow the gaze to soften. Come into the present moment. Consciously notice your inhalation and exhalation. That’s One breath cycle. Notice the cycle again, that’s Two. And again. That’s Three. Start again at One. Repeat the three breath cycle three more times for a total of 9 cycles. How’s that feel? Note: this is one breath awareness practice. Take a moment to explore a few others.
2. Notice - Take a deep breath and sigh it out. Take another deep breath and invite all the muscles of the body to relax. Settle into a comfortable position, either sitting with the back supported or laying down. Start to notice sensations in the body, beginning with the crown of your head. Without judgement of good or bad, neutrally observe the sensations as a naturalist might. You may notice warmth, coolness, touch of clothing, touch of air, touch of breath, vibration, pulsing, pressure, tightness, and so on. Travel awareness through the face, back of the head, throat and neck. Then notice sensations in your shoulders, upper arms, forearms, wrists, hands and fingers. Bring your attention to the upper, mid and low back and then the front of the chest, abdomen and low belly. Notice sensations in the pelvis and upper thighs and knees, through the shins, calves, ankles, feet and toes. Take a deep breath and draw your awareness up through the feet all the way back up to the top of the head. This is wonderful to practice in bed after waking or before falling to sleep.
3. Quiet. When our lives feel out of balance, it's easy to get stressed and distracted. That's why it's so important to set intentional time for mindful breathing, bodyscanning or just touching base and grounding. To start, set a timer for 5 minutes. Feel into your body and experience the support of the furniture, floor and earth beneath you. Allow the eyes to close or soften the gaze. Take a few gentle breaths into the low body. Invite the mind to quiet. I often start with an inner mantra, “calm and quiet.” Perhaps practice the breath awareness outlined in No. 1. Follow the breath or scan the body. Each time you notice the mind wandering, smilingly return to your method of meditation. There are dozens of ways to meditate. Try a few to see what resonates and works best for you.
4. Move - When we are on the go, we often forget to take breaks because we don't think we have time. To create a more balanced life, it's essential to realize that we create our own realities and so even if it doesn't seem like you have enough time, you do. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, there is always an opportunity to feel into and move your body. If seated at work or at home, gently stretch your neck forward and to the sides. Roll your shoulders, wrists and ankles. Take a few moments to bend forward to stretch your back and backs of legs. Take a break and go for a walk in nature* or around the block. Check out yoga, tai qi, dance and swim classes. Maybe boxing or jogging or hiking or pilates or cycling is your thing and you just didn’t know it yet. Discover what feels good (during and after). When you’re ready, block time in your calendar to move that body 3-5 days/week for 45-60 min.
5. Care - If you are in physical pain, navigating emotional upsets, struggling with bigger life choices, uncovering addiction, feeling stuck or just in need of a little extra backing, reach out. Take a break and talk to a friend, find a specialist like an acupuncturist, reiki practitioner, or cranial sacral therapist, check out in-person and online support groups. Hang out with your favorite animals, schedule special dates with loved ones, take time off to be and engage a favorite activity. Whatever it looks like for you, take care. All of these nourishing choices will help you improve your live-work balance.
*I can’t over-emphasize the subtle yet profound healing that comes with communing with the natural world around us.
If you are interested in learning more about creating a balanced life or to book an Intuitive Healing session, I’m here for you in-person in Tucson AZ as an intuitive life coach offering acupuncture Chinese Medicine, reiki, and craniosacral therapy, specializing in deep healing and transformation. Virtually, I’m available online via Zoom, FaceTime and phone for intuitive and transformational life coach sessions and distance energy healing.
Xx
Britta
Licensed Acupuncturist, Online Life Coach, Intuitive, Healer, Energy Medicine Practitioner
📞 917-519-2432
If you think someone you know would benefit from these ideas, please forward along!
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