Maintaining Balance

I came out of my last depression in March, and for the past seven months, I have been working to organize my life in such a way so that I will be less likely to become depressed this fall and winter. So far I have done everything  I can think of. I am exercising regularly, eating well, sleeping well, doing light therapy, taking my medication and supplements (multivitamin, fish oil, and fiber powder), keeping regular appointments with my psychiatrist and therapist, going to my support group, enjoying spending time with friends and family, and keeping my house clean and organized. I have also gotten out all of my fall and winter clothes and have even gone shopping for a few new items to spice up my wardrobe. And last night the time changed. I was determined to get my life in order by then. It seems to be a good seasonal deadline for me.

Now, the trick is to maintain this balance through the early spring when everything tends to become easier for me again. Last week, in an effort to keep everything balanced, I skipped two spinning classes so that I could do some work around the house, including cleaning and organizing my desk and going through some paperwork that I had let pile up. I also put off writing a blog post. I was disappointed that I wasn't sticking to my schedule, but at this point, I'm caught up with everything and am sitting here writing this post before going to my spinning class at the YMCA. It is a peaceful Sunday morning. Reflecting on my choices of how to use my time this week, I think I made good ones. For me, balance is important, but sometimes it requires flexibility. At this point in my life, each day is not always perfectly balanced, but when I look at my life one week at a time, I see a good amount of balance, and while there is always room for improvement, I am satisfied with what I am accomplishing.