A few years ago, I noticed that I often felt as if I was on the verge of tears. Since I associate crying with sadness, I took a look at what might be causing me to feel this way.

There was absolutely nothing that was making me feel sad, so I kept poking around. What I finally realized was that I had just discovered my own Stress Response.

It was not a familiar feeling.

Running a homebased business has eliminated many of the causes of stress that plague other people. Running a homebased business that’s having a growth spurt brought stresses of its own, however.

Fortunately, one of the gifts of self-employment is the ability to be in charge of your own time. I had the choice of continuing to push myself or shift gears for a bit. 

I decided to shift and let my business run itself for a month. I also reclaimed my serenity by using what I already knew.

My own personal balance regulator came about when I decided that the theme for my life was going to be Roots and Wings.The inspiration for this came from the old adage that says, “The best gifts you can give to your children are roots and wings.”

I decided it was the best gift I could give to myself, too.

To me, roots are all those things in life that give us what Maslow called “a sense of belonging.” It’s more than just those people, things and experiences that are familiar.

Roots also come from within, from discovering who you are and what you want to do and then doing it with gusto. 

Wings, on the other hand, are all those things that keep you moving and growing, going beyond where you’ve been and what you’ve done. 

When I had my stress crisis, I took inventory and saw that the previous months had been filled with lots of Wings, but Roots had been sorely neglected. It was obvious what shift needed to happen in order to get back in balance.

In setting goals, making plans and scheduling activities, it works best for me if I have plenty of both. This often means creating opposites such as solitary time to work on creative projects balanced with collaborative activities involving other people. 

It’s not possible to divide time exactly in half to accomplish this, but it is possible to keep some of both in the mix. 

As Thoreau reminds us, “Good for the body is the work of the body, and good for the soul is the work of the soul, and good for either is the work of the other.”

Any discoveries you’ve made about staying balanced that you’d like to share with us?