“Balance what?” - Zahra G.

Balance: is having the right amount — not too much or too little — of any quality, which leads to harmony or evenness.

           

The word ‘balance’ has many meanings to many different people. Most of the time, the word balance means equal when comparing two things. If you were to ask a young child, they would look at you confusedly and shoot back another question. If you were to ask a young adult, they would respond with not just the definition but also include the balance of their life. Balancing one's life is not something that comes easily to many or the idea of balancing doesn't come in an instant.

If I were to ask my middle school self what balancing your life means, my response then would be “What do you mean?” and say something ridiculous. As I grew and slowly went into high school, balance was being introduced into my life. Not only would I begin to learn the definition of balance but also what it meant for me in my everyday life. Coming fresh from middle school plus isolation from quarantine into a new environment meant for a 14-year-old, the idea of balance was completely out of my mind, and even if I tried to maintain balance, it would not be stabilized at all. Finally being adapted to a new environment, I slowly began to realize how important balance was to have in one’s life. From 10th grade until being senior right now, I only grew to understand what balance meant. Not only the definition from English class but also what it meant to be balanced in life. I learned to balance home and school life, personal and social life, and even family & relationships I have with many people. It was not an overnight skill I learned but it took me years and tons of new experiences. Each event I have gone through, whether it be sad, happy, upsetting, or some type of emotion, I still have managed to gain a new insight on how to balance each thing in my life. Each experience impacted each view I had on the balance and would continue to change. It would change for the better or the worse but nonetheless, each time I  gained a new perspective on learning to balance from these opportunities.

It is not always easy to find balance and some may never be able to experience balance. Most of the time, many people are bombarded with stress from work, depression, or their own problems that get in the way. There are many aspects in life to be balanced but to be able to stabilize those, you must stabilize yourself and the things that are most important to you. I did not only learn from experiences that personally happened to me, but I also learned by seeing others close to me how they were managing balance in their lives through their familiarity and understanding of a steady life. Balance means to have the right amount, balance in life is to strive in each and hopefully every area of your life. 

 

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/balance