W E L L B E I N G
Balance. By Allison Saltzman, LPC
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esponsibilities competing for my attention are a major source of stress for me. I hope to raise my children well, and to enjoy it. The duties of work and keeping up with household organization (bills, laundry, meals, etc.) often scream loudly at me. I find myself getting swept up in completing the more tangible tasks and feeling disengaged from what I really want to enjoy. Not to mention the need for self-care, a healthy marriage and other important relationships, and exploring what I need to learn from my personal circumstances as well as my role in the collective happenings in the world. All require attention and time. I feel this battle not only in my responsibilities, but also in the duality of the inner and outer life. Spirituality and what lies beyond the seen has always fascinated me. I could spend many hours exploring these concepts and experiences. I also feel responsible to meet the roles and duties I have in life. These two concepts war for my attention. Focusing on life’s tasks and circumstances feels full, busy, and often rewarding. But it quickly turns into a “running on empty” feeling. My life (like many other people’s lives in modern times) does not allow for me to spend much time meditating, reflecting, or being alone. However, a little goes a long way, especially with proper training on how to meditate. Both the inner and outer life is needed for me to truly feel fulfilled. I know both aspects are necessary, but why must it feel like a battle? Part of raising my children well is providing meals, maintaining a quality home environment, paying bills, earning a living to pay those bills, and having healthy relationships and a self-care routine. But…how do I fit it all in and not lose the essence of why I am doing all of these tasks? The quality of my children’s existence is highly important to me. And regarding the balance of my inner and outer life, I have come to believe that both are essential, but the inner life is the essence that supplies the outer life. It is what fuels and gives direction to the outer life. This is truly fulfilling…having the inner life energy to meet the outer life tasks with success. The Indian guru, Paramahansa Yogananda, is known as the father of Yoga in the West and developed a “how to live” lesson series on living a truly spiritual life. "A balance must be struck between the medieval idea of wholly depending on God and the modern way of sole reliance on the ego.” This statement from Yogananda provides a solution to my battle between the inner and outer lives…as well as my battle with very meaningful and less meaningful responsibilities in my life. Retreating within and taking no outward action will not create the progress I want…no matter how elevating that inward spiritual experience is. Complete reliance on my spiritual source does not get things done in the physical world. Relying entirely on myself is burdensome and only goes so far…and so often takes me in the wrong direction!
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