I find myself doing a balancing act right now.

There’s a lot going on in the big world, and it’s hard to be part of it while also living in my small world.

There’s uncertainty and unrest. We are fatigued by the messages and the experiences in our lives and those of our fellow humans.

Because of all of the heavy stuff we read and see every day, I don’t want to contribute to the stress and anxiety.

Yet … life goes on. We keep doing what we do and try to find a way to make it better, to feel better, to make others feel better, to find a bit of happiness.

It seems wrong, sometimes, to shut out what’s going on outside our bubble, but it’s necessary to take a break. Being informed is important. Seeking good, quality information from a variety of sources is important. But letting it overtake and overwhelm is not. We need balance.

Building balance

We get up in the morning, drink our coffee (if you don’t drink coffee, you’re seriously missing out on one of life’s little joys) and do what we need to do. In some way, we work and take care of our families. If we’re smart, we take care of ourselves. At the end of the day, we make peace with ourselves, at least.

What we choose to do each day will affect us now as we live it, and it may affect the future. If I choose to learn a new skill, for example, it may help me down the road, and I may feel a sense of accomplishment now. If I spend hours on social media or watching videos, it may not help me now or in the future, and I may not feel accomplished or even good.

It’s a balancing act, for sure.

In my life right now, I’m doing what I can to make each day a good day while balancing it with what I need to know about the world. I suspect you’re doing the same. But if you aren’t, perhaps it’s time to take a look at what brings you joy and do more of that and less of what frustrates you or causes you anxiety.

Start small. Add one simple joy (Coffee? Tea? A sunrise or sunset?) and subtract something that upsets you. (Don’t read posts from the person who triggers you. In fact, change your settings so you don’t see those posts.) Then add to it until you come into better balance.

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How to Be a Better Writer Tip

Create your own style guide

I’ve written before about the AP Stylebook. It’s a recognized and widely used guide to style. The purpose is to ensure content from different writers follows the same guidelines. For example, is United States abbreviated US or U.S.? In publications, it’s important to have consistency.

Did you know you can create your own style guide?

It doesn’t have to be big or fancy. A Word document will do. Add things as you come across them.

For example:

• When should things be capitalized?
• What’s your preferred spelling for words? (Dictionaries will differ.)
• Do you spell things out or abbreviate them? (Think measurements or state names.)

Next time, I’ll talk about how to use a style guide.