Each week, Samantha Lewis shares her insights on various topics, from exploring new health trends to reimagining personal growth.
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Balance is one of those words we all use, but rarely define.
We say we want more of it, yet in real life, it rarely feels like calm symmetry, and more like spinning plates.
Work, parenting, household chores, relationships, exercise, goals, the hope for a quiet hour alone, the importance of time together, it is a lot.
For years, I assumed balance meant doing everything well at the same time.
A perfect week where work flowed, relationships flourished, the body was steady, routines were solid, home was tidy.
I am still waiting for that week.
These days, I see balance less as an achievement and more as a living conversation.
A steady practice of awareness, communication, and gentle course correction.
Not perfection or control, but honest recalibration.
Researcher and author Brene Brown claims there is no such thing as a marriage or relationship being 50/50.
Instead, she and her husband quantify where they are at.
If her husband comes home and says, I’ve got 20 in terms of energy, investment, kindness, patience, she will respond with, I can pull the 80. I’ve got you.
And on the days when they are both low, they create a strategy to push through with kindness rather than friction.
That might look like ordering dinner in, letting chores wait or shortening social plans.
The aim is always the same.
Protect the relationship, reduce strain, and get through the day as a team instead of opponents.
This applies to all relationships.
Parenting partnerships, workplace teams, friendships, co-parenting arrangements, and the informal partnerships we create with the people around us.
Life shifts constantly. Some days you are the one carrying.
Some days you are the one being carried.
Balance is naming what you honestly have and letting someone meet you where you are.
Burnout grows in silence, when we pretend to have 80 when we only have 20.
When we hold the mental load alone because asking for help feels like failure or inconvenience.
Balance expands the moment we speak truth.
Even small sentences can change the entire feel of a day.
I am running low. I can take that.
I need a moment. I have more capacity now, let me step in.
Balance also shows up in the daily trades that are rarely acknowledged.
Choosing a walk over an intense workout.
Leaving the washing for later to sit with someone who needs your attention.
Sharing the invisible load instead of storing it in one tired mind.
Allowing rest when your instinct is to push.
Asking for help with the practical or emotional weight.
Giving your partner, your child, or yourself permission to not be everything today.
The truth is, balance will never look like a perfect split.
Some weeks feel grounded and steady.
Others feel stretched and chaotic.
None of this means you are failing.
It simply means you are human and responding to the rhythm of real life.
Maybe balance is not equal time in every area, but responsive support.
Not about doing everything well every day, but noticing when something is tipping and adjusting with kindness.
You do not need to be everything.
You just need honest check ins, clear communication, and people who can meet you where you are.