By Leah McClellan

There’s a lot of talk about “balance” these days: life-work balance. Work-play balance. Balancing family responsibilities with work or personal goals. Finding the time for fun, relaxation, and doing the things we really want to do.

I like to look at life balance in terms of four main areas: mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual.

The mental area includes anything having to do with the intellectual side of life: learning, stimulation, and understanding. The emotional area refers to things like stability, safety, self-esteem, love, and friendship. The physical aspect refers to the body’s health, wellness, and energy levels, while the spiritual category includes beliefs and how we find meaning—religious or not, personal or social, formal or informal.

We all need... More...