According to Chinese mythology, Yin Yang were born from chaos when the universe was first created, and ever since, the key to a balanced life, according to the theme, has remained the same: stability comes from harmony. But, is it possible to have a balanced life in an increasingly unpredictable and hostile world?

How to yin yang your life?

Yin Yang is about creating harmony in your world – your home, your work, your relationships. Not going overboard with anything – work, emotions, pleasure – is a good way to start, but you also need to change your mindset and bring your lifestyle in synch with natural, i.e. more gentle, rhythms of life.

The main problem with our noisy, polluted and fast-changing world is that people have become confused, alienated and have generally lost a sense of belonging. This has created conflicts, stress, and global chaos, and it is very little we can do about it. However, we can all make our OWN worlds more harmonious and less stressful, by adopting basic principles of holistic living.

Here are seven ways to Yin Yang your life and create re-establish balance between Yin and Yang

1. Work

We live in an increasingly neurotic world where we are constantly pushed to achieve more, earn more and have more. Burnout at work is becoming common. If at all possible, do something you enjoy for a living, alternatively, get a hobby, because, for the sake of your mental health, you need to be involved in something that brings you pleasure.

2. Relationships

We all know how important love is for one’s physical, mental and emotional health but, in a complicated world, even simple things, such as loving relationships, are becoming tricky. While brief and stormy love affairs may be fun, the only way to achieve healthy and fulfilling love is to build a lasting bond and try to find a balance of being with someone without losing yourself in that person.

3. Diet

According to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), people can voluntarily increase or decrease the amount of qi (life force) in their body, creating, or destroying, a Yin Yang balance.

There are different techniques of balancing one’s energy, the easiest one being through diet. Therefore, for quick results, adjust your diet to match the seasons, eat organic or whole food whenever you can, buy locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables, avoid (or reduce) red meat, sugars, and salt. And always remember that the food you eat makes up who you are.

4. Health

According to holistic philosophy, one can achieve, and maintain, excellent health by gaining proper balance in life. However, one of the main principles of holistic medicine is that since we all have innate healing powers, preserving one’s health should come naturally to all of us. IF we adopt healthy living habits:

• Maintain your physical health by eating a healthy diet, exercising if you can and sleeping at least 7 hours every night.

• Maintain your mental health by connecting with others, preferably those in whose company you feel secure and comfortable.

• Maintain your emotional health by trying to feel optimistic and positive about life. Even when things are not going well for you, remind yourself that although life is not a bed or roses, it’s neither all doom-and-gloom. Life is what we make of it.

• Maintain your spiritual health by feeding your soul with love and compassion. Get involved in activities you believe in and surround yourself with those who make you feel loved and loving.

5. Declutter your life

While decluttering your home or office can make you more efficient and help you lead a more orderly life, it’s even more important to declutter your life from people who no longer need or want to be in your life, for whatever reason, make you feel uncomfortable. Maintaining relationships, no matter how shallow, with hundreds of people who you communicate with through social media, at work or as part of extended family relations, not only takes a lot of time but can be extremely draining.

Too much clutter (physical or mental) drains you of energy, leading you off track and sooner or later inviting chaos into your life. Approach people-decluttering as mental-cleansing, an exercise after which I guarantee you’ll “breathe” more easily.

6. Cultivate patience and peace of mind

Not easy in today’s world when everything has to be delivered and obtained, at a speed of light. It appears ours is a now-or-never culture. People expect quick results, quick money, quick living. Patience is seen as a thing of the past when people had more time on their hands. For most busy people, patience is a luxury. But, although sometimes we waste hours or even days waiting for something or someone, it helps if we remind ourselves that life is sometimes slowing us down for a reason.

7. Nurture gratitude

You don’t have to pray, meditate, or perform any rituals. All you need to do is feel genuine gratitude for what you have, no matter how little it may seem to you.

Gratitude is about knowing that you could easily lose what you have (and it does not have to be something of material value). Try to develop an attitude of giving thanks for everything nice that happens to you, no matter how trivial. Saying “thank you”, and meaning it, will bring grace to your life.

JF Kennedy summed it up beautifully when he said: “As we express our gratitude we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them”.

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