Happy Wednesday! I have been spending a lot of time lately creating space for there to be balance, organization & calm in every aspect of my life. I will get more into the space creating details later this week, because it’s something I’ve been working on big-time and I can’t wait to tell you ALL… but today I am going to share a few tips that I’ve learned when it comes to incorporating balance into my daily life.

I think a lot of people get intimidated by the idea of “balance” because they believe that achieving that state would have to mean finding their innermost zen, relaxation and contentment annddd maintaining it. Well, I’m here to tell you something: that is impossible. Since we’re all pretty darn hard on ourselves, there really is no perfect state of balance.

Perfection is unattainable, even when it comes to finding a state of balance in your life. Ultimately, balance (to me at least) is just another word for happiness. When you’re balancing your life in the way that works best for you, then you will be the happiest version of yourself.

That is the GOOD NEWS, my loves, because that means that if we work on creating balance in our daily routine then that’s all it takes to start living a balanced life. It’s ALL ABOUT switching up that routine and starting to incorporate the things that we always say we’re going to… And it’s time to DO IT. 🙂

This stuff is my jam, and not because I have found a perfectly balanced state of mind. Quite the contrary. I am always searching for balance — it keeps me grounded and helps me learn new things about myself on the daily. Here are some of my best tips for finding that balance in your life…

TBB TIPS:

• Clean out your space & PURGE the things you do not need and/or love. This goes back to the whole idea of creating space so that you can make room for your creativity to flow. Without allowing that side of yourself to have a valid place in your life, you will remain SUPER far away from a balanced state. It’s just the truth. I am a firm believer in the idea that you must find what you absolutely love to do, creatively, and practice it. Some people are more creative and some people are more analytical, so your list may be long or short. Even if it’s just going on a long run to clear your head or writing a note to someone you love to get your feelings out — DO IT. But, you can’t really do any of that in the soul-cleansing way I mean it in unless you first create space to do it. Get rid of the stuff you don’t need… It will change your life. (I just purged 25+ bags of stuff from my apartment, but that’s a story for another blog post!)
• Use only products that you can stand behind & that make you feel your absolute best. This one is HUGE. Especially for someone like me who ends up getting sent lots and lots of product that I don’t end up using because it either fills up my space as clutter, or I use it once and don’t really love it. I try to use natural products that are derived from as close to the earth as possible. They are better for your hair, skin, body & overall life. I am going to break this one down into a few different bullet points because it’s important…
• HAIR products- This post, incidentally, is sponsored by Aveeno’s balancing Pure Renewal shampoo. It’s infused with the power of earthy wonderfulness ACTIVE NATURALS®Seaweed Extract and naturally derived cleansers. Speaking of… It’s National Seaweed Day, so today would be the best time to use it, duh. It is made with a sulfate-free NATRASURF™ technology that works to lift away impurities without overstripping, helping to rebalance hair’s optimal moisture levels, leaving it shiny, healthier looking, and full of life. And for blondies like me, it helps restore color levels and keep it nice and bright. Basically… I am obsessed with this shampoo, and I do believe that finding a shampoo & conditioner that you truly love (and love the SMELL OF, because you will be smelling that scent all day!) is all part of the balancing act.
• Everything else– I like to use natural, from the earth products whenever possible, but if you find what you like & what works for you — you will feel more balanced and centered already, because you’ll be listening to yourself.
• Eat foods that make you feel your best, and have a handful of go-to healthy recipes that you know you love so you can meal prep & be prepared for the week. IT SAVES SO MUCH TIME, and so much money. I spent all of last year eating OUT for basically every meal because I “did not have time” to cook while I was writing my book. Honestly, that was just a handy excuse for for making the time to cook or find recipes that would make it easy to buy the right foods for. I was grocery shopping all the time, but only for essentials and not really enough to make a full-blown meal. Cooking at home more has worked wonders on my mind, body, bank account & it makes me feel so much better about what I am eating. A.k.a I know where it all comes from / what is used in it!
• Find a workout routine that you absolutely love so that you can be consistent with it & enjoy yourself while you are doing it. This is another huge point. In order to stay active, you’ve gotta do the work to find the type of workout routine you love. For me, that’s a combo of yoga, running, HIIT & hiking. I can rotate that sched and be perfectly happy with it. Try everything you can, and don’t short yourself in this arena because if you’re not living an active lifestyle you won’t be able to get anywhere near your balanced state of mind… UNLESS you’ve been an over-exerciser and you need to cool it for a while, then I’d say the opposite.
• Carve out more time for yourself. Read more, take bubble baths, go on walks or runs alone to clear your head. A lot of people are afraid of being alone, and I’ve found that having alone time with myself is really the best way to maintain balance and happiness. When you’re alone you can REFLECT, so do what you like to do when you are alone in order to make that happen! For me, it’s writing, reading, cuddling with Hudson my kitty, watching TV (silly I know, but it’s sort of a new thing for me and really helps me relax), journaling, running, yoga-ing, stretching, etc.
• Surround yourself with people who lift you up and make you SO HAPPY and content. It’s okay to begin to let go of the people who don’t. That has actually made all the difference for me in living a truly balanced life. I allowed myself to let go of the people and things that were no longer serving me without feeling guilty about it. For us people pleasers, this one can be tough… But oh so worth it.
• Empower yourself by learning more about the things that will help you grow. I think once we finish school a lot of us get stunted in the education department. Never stop reading, researching & learning about the things that interest you. I am fascinated by nutrition, business, history, people’s personal memoirs, and SO MUCH MORE and if I wasn’t constantly reading about it and learning about it I would be missing a key quality to my life that I love so much — plus, it will give you confidence in social situations because you’ll have so much to discuss!
• Do the things you love & don’t feel guilty about it. YEP. Huge.
• Take care of yourself, and pamper yourself! And again, don’t feel guilty about it.
• More advice in my book. 🙂

So, there you have it! I am so grateful to Aveeno for sponsoring this post & for creating a BALANCED shampoo and conditioner that keeps it natural, smells amazing and keeps my blonde bright & in tact. Highly recommended by this Balanced Blondie over here! Use the store locator on their site to find out where you can buy Aveeno in your area, or purchase on Amazon!

Do you guys have any balance tips, tricks or favorites that I missed? If so, would love for you to share them below! Have a FAB Saturday, and can’t wait to share this whole creating space thing with you… Xx