If you’ve been reading these letters for a little bit, you may know that I am a personal trainer. And on top of that, I train and coach by gauging one indicator: stress.
How balanced is this person today? Are they teetering over the edge and need to pull it back? Are they tucked snuggly under the covers and need a little push, maybe?
Knowing the intensity someone needs to push is imperative to giving them the workout they need, not necessarily the one they want. But with all of this assessing I'm doing on the fly, how do I really know if I'm doing what they need? Am I gauging them properly?
My life has been a whirlwind of the good kind over the last 6 months.
I landed a job at one of the country’s largest production companies, working with great people.
I purchased an apartment in almost the perfect location.
I now own the gym I worked at for 18 months.
To top it off, I'm also in a budding relationship.
So to say I’ve been busy would be pretty accurate. To say my stress levels have gone up… would also be accurate.
And I could see it coming. As someone who assesses people’s stress levels every day, I thought this would be the perfect time to manage mine – properly. I want to make sure I am waking up every day with enough energy to tackle what I need to.
The biggest change was exercise. By the end of February I had done 35 runs. By the end of March, I had totalled 37. If I was going to remain upright, something had to give. Adding in 2-3 hours of work either side of my full time job requires a decent amount of rest.
I obviously want to exercise more, but letting my body adjust and adapt to the current climate comes first. Animals are adaptable, but not instantly. Patience and persistence are essential. An adjustment period of 3, 4, 5 or however many months is not a lot in the span of your lifetime. And if done sustainably, you’re laughing.
Wrecking yourself trying to do too much in that period leads to burnout and being overworked, so you need to stop everything altogether just so you can perform basic functions. Right now, pulling back on extra exercise is a necessity if I want to create good work.
The fact I still have time to write these letters is amazing to me. To sit down with my thoughts and get them out, edit them, re-read them, and create simple graphics. Creating time for these outlets is also important for me.
As time passes, this juggle becomes easier. Becoming comfortable and confident means I can add a fourth or fifth item to the mix. Slowly though. When I do, it becomes a little unstable, but with time, it will become comfortable.
Balance takes time and patience. All of those things you want to do, you can do. But we’ve all got different thresholds. Prioritise the tasks, events, people, and work that’s important to you. Pull back on the other things.
I’ve noticed I slip up sometimes just because there’s too much to think about. It’s okay. Don’t push through it. Identify why it’s happening and fix it. Create the balance so you can keep progressing.
I always aim to have a little wiggle room at all times. If someone wants to do a workout with me, an event comes up, a dinner with friends, I put that buffer in because I still want to do those things.
As much of a superhuman you think you are, you can’t escape the need to be balanced.
This letter is nothing more than a reminder to myself, and to you, to keep an eye on that balance.
Stay inspired,
Josh