By Brent Botros Tree House Staff

Balance is essential to a healthy life. What is balance though? I define it as providing equal energy into all aspects of my life; not just focusing on one. This concept hasn’t always been one that was easy to practice for myself, and is something that can continuously get better as the years go on. For now, I’ll highlight the importance of having balance in mind and body. Mental and Physical health is very important to me these days. Oftentimes, I find myself focusing on physical without devoting enough time and energy into my mental health. Going to the gym and feeding myself well are two very important factors in my life, and will continue to be. A healthy diet and high physical activity regimen are two things that draw a lot of my interest and focus, and I am very passionate about these few things which sometimes can cause me to lose sight of other things that are just as important such as education, meditation, and connection to others.

When I’m considering what to make while I meal prep, I have to weigh in all factors and consider what macronutrients I need and how to season them properly in order for the meal to taste right and help me perform to the best of my ability. Balance is essential to me for this very reason. When baking a cake for instance, its important to make sure that there is an equal balance of ingredients to produce the best results. If there is too much or too little of one ingredient, the outcome is unpleasant and doesn’t taste good. So, what I’m trying to get at here is that in order to produce the best outcome and best results, balance is essential.

So, what does an imbalanced life look like for me? Well, from my experience in the past, I’ve been imbalanced while focusing all of my energy into one aspect of my life, exercise for example, and relying on that as my means of health. While this happens, other important things such as family, mental health, and education take the back burner, causing a loss of connection to those areas in my life. It’s important to remember the fact that all of these areas in life need the attention they deserve. It’s helpful to take a consistent inventory of my personal life to be aware of areas in my life that may need more attention or flavor. If something seems off or like it needs work, I begin to look at solutions to provide those areas with more attention. Balance in life is something that can constantly get better. It’s a living document in a sense that it can always be added to or molded into something greater.

Tree House Recovery is a men’s treatment program located in Portland, Oregon. Creating sustainable recovery through sustainable change, our programs help men learn how to live sober with adventurous lives. Call us today for information: (503) 850-2474