How To Support Life Balance & Use A Needs Assessment

Life Balance is an interesting term many use when they suddenly become aware that they don’t have any! This usually comes about the more stressed, overwhelmed, exhausted and/or frustrated you increasingly feel.

Creating life balance isn’t about controlling life – obligations, commitments, challenges and bumps in the road can easily disrupt your plans and unbalance your life every day!

The trick is in recognising where your needs aren’t being met and attending to them as a daily act of self-love.

The focus then becomes on YOU and not what happens to you.

Here’s a list identified by Tony Robbins as being the 6 Human Needs we all strive for:

1. Certainty – Human beings want certainty that they will be comfortable – to have pleasure and avoid pain (roof over your head, food in your belly, clothes on your back).

2. Uncertainty – Variety and challenges exercise our emotional and physical range, and help contribute to self-development and empowerment.

3. Significance – We all need to feel special, important, and like we matter. This is quite a powerful need in feel acknowledged.

4. Love & Connection – We all need connection with other human beings; we all hope and work towards love and a feeling of belonging.

5. Growth – If you aren’t growing, you’re dying. In order to develop emotionally, intellectually and spiritually, growth is required to evolve.

6. Contribution – Giving back is our soul’s work. What we give to others is an expression of our spirit.

When one or more of these needs are not being fulfilled or nourished, there is an imbalance within.

If you’re feeling out of touch with your own needs or don’t actually know what they are, put aside some time now to look over these needs and identify which ones speak loudest to you at this time in your life.

Which needs are you feeling most drawn to?
What is lacking?
Where are you feeling unfulfilled?
Which needs resonate with your desire for “balance”?

Usually we place greater importance on one or two of these needs, depending on our individual values and beliefs. However, all 6 have the potential to be unfulfilled or ignored when we lack clarity or don’t take responsibility for our lives.

Allow this process to develop and nurture your self-awareness. Take some time to consider which areas of your life these needs most apply to and where you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, exhausted and/or frustrated the most.

Use meditation, creative outlets, movement or contemplation to assist you in becoming clear.

Another tool to use is a Needs Assessment

List all the areas of your life under Mental, Emotional and Physical:

Home, Family, Relationship, Career, Health, Fun, Creativity, Finances, Community and Spirituality.

For each life area, ask yourself the question: What do I need from this life area in order to be happy?

Spend some time considering what you would ultimately like to feel, experience, be doing, having, feeling… etc.

Make some notes about how you can start to include or create action or mindset to fulfil these life areas in a positive way.

As you stay in touch with your needs on a daily basis, your self-awareness will grow, and so too will your ability to attend to your needs.

Keep the focus within by listening to your self-talk, feeling your feelings and knowing when to choose differently for the sake of your health and wellbeing.

Wishing YOU Wellness!

Featured image by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash.

Author:
Viki Thondley

Viki Thondley-Moore is an Integrative Holistic Counsellor, Brain-Based Coach, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Mind-Body Somatic Practitioner, Wellness Coach, Meditation Teacher, Educator and Disordered Eating Specialist. Viki is founder of MindBodyFood and Founder/Director of the MindBodyFood Institute.