Purposeful Imbalance

Understanding the stress to move through it

Purposeful imbalance was a concept that came up with my therapist a couple of months ago talking about balancing kids and school and the pandemic and a class I was starting to teach.

I had a few weeks that were *hard*. I had been doing not much trapped at home during the pandemic and suddenly there was tons to organize and figure out. Oh, and it was still a pandemic and nothing works the way it used to.

It was not balance. I felt unbalanced. I was busy, I was anxious, I couldn't un-tense. And I was kind of frustrated that everything was happening at once.

But frankly, expecting life always in balance, especially with two young kids, not to speak of a pandemic, is ludicrous.

My weeks were purposefully hard with the intention of making many more following weeks significantly easier. And it did. I'm getting to lie on the couch and write.

The past balance was toward action and effort and awareness. Right now the balance is a lot more even. In the future, it may swing to inaction and relaxation. (At which point I may have to remind myself is that it is purposeful rest, and not laziness. But we'll get there.)

For me at least, it's easier to experience tension knowing that I'm moving through it, and why.