Counterbalance & Recipe for Balance

“The more we are entrained into the outer world in all these new and increasingly rapid ways that our nervous system has never before encountered, the more important it may be for us to develop a robust counterbalance of the inner world: one that calms and tunes the nervous system and puts it in the service of living wisely, both for ourselves and for others.” –Jon Kabat Zinn

I call it walking in the garden…. or reading a book to my daughters.   What do you do to “counterbalance”?

Kirk Weisler

There are a few other crucial ingredients I require for my version of a balanced life:

(By Abby off The Record – http://www.abbyofftherecord.com/2011/06/06/my-recipe-for-balance/)

–          Some form of exercise 3-5 times a week

–          8, preferably 9, hours of sleep a night

–          Protein at every meal (sometimes a challenge for a carb-loving vegetarian like me)

–          Not too much coffee, sugar, or alcohol

–          A semi-orderly, passably clean environment (at least the bathrooms and kitchen)

–          At least an hour of me-time every day (sometimes this is a yoga class, sometimes a drink with friends, sometimes an hour of mindless TV)

–          Some alone time with my husband (think what you want, but to me this could actually mean 10 minutes of uninterrupted conversation)