Self

5 Subtle Signs Your Life Is Out Of Balance That Often Eludes People

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woman with a life out of balance hiding behind leaves

Is your life out of balance? Actually, it's always going to be in and out of balance.

Every change leads to some imbalance until you readjust to it.

But, huge or constant changes without correction can lead to mental, emotional, or physical problems.

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Here are 5 subtle signs that you're living a life out of balance.

1. You're displaying out-of-the-ordinary behaviors. 

What's out of the ordinary for you isn't necessarily out of the ordinary for someone else. This means that signs of imbalance are, at least to some extent, personal to you.

For example, you might be someone who likes your home to be neat and tidy. You like dishes cleaned and the bed made.

In contrast, there are people who don't care about these things. Their dishes pile up, beds are unmade, and clothes carpet the floor.

For these people who don't have a preference for tidiness, these behaviors aren't likely to be signs that their lives are unbalanced.

However, maybe for you, when your house gets messy and you just leave it that way, it's a sign your life is out of balance.

In general, this behavior isn't extraordinary. But, it's weird for you. Something's not quite right.

And chances are, if you're not looking after your house, you're not looking after yourself, your self-care, and/or your mental or emotional health.

Maybe you're spending more money than usual and it makes you uncomfortable, but you don't do anything about it.

Maybe your eating habits changed. You're eating or drinking more, skipping meals, or switching from a healthy balanced diet to junk food.

You're staying at home alone despite the fact that you have many friends and typically love to socialize.

It can be essentially any change, especially those you can't explain.

Since this sign is about how you differ from your normal, it's important to know yourself. Be self-referential rather than compare yourself to your friends or the general public.

2. Mystery ailments appear.

Ailments are always a sign that something is out of balance. But, when you can identify the source — the flu, strained muscle, or something more serious — you can address it. You can often regain balance.

However, if you have aches, pains, or some other symptoms health providers cannot identify, it's time to look inside yourself.

Are you emotionally, mentally, spiritually, or energetically out of balance?

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3. You're moody.

Moodiness can express itself in a number of ways such as being quick to anger or tears, a greater tendency toward confusion and forgetfulness, unease, indifference, lethargy, or hopelessness.

A one-off or periodic expression of moodiness doesn't necessarily imply chronic imbalance.

However, more frequent and prolonged moods can be significant signs that your life is out of balance.

4. There are changes in your sleep patterns.

Altered sleep patterns are typically signs of imbalance. Perhaps, this manifests as going to bed much earlier than normal or sleeping longer hours.

It could also be a change in the quality of sleep such as more frequent interruptions, inability to fall back asleep once awoken, more frequent or severe nightmares, or tossing and turning.

5. You have no will to do anything you're interested in. 

One of the most common expressions of having no will and no interest is not wanting to get out of bed in the morning.

This sign of imbalance can also underline the change in behaviors mentioned above. You just lose all interest and power to motivate yourself to fulfill a want or need to do.

You might have noticed that these signs can be indicative of other issues. For example, lack of will or lethargy can be a sign of depression, which is itself an imbalance.

When you notice any of these signs, take time to reflect and assess whether you can identify what in your life is out of balance and how you can address it, whether that's through self-care or seeking assistance from someone else, even the medical community.

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Patricia Bonnard, Ph.D., ACC is a certified International Coaching Federation (ICF) leadership coach and a certified Martha Beck life coach. For more information, contact her or visit her website.

This article was originally published at starchaser-healingarts.com. Reprinted with permission from the author.