Balance

The point of life is balance, not perfection. This sentiment keeps popping up everywhere I turn.

I’m taking it as a direct communication from the universe to me. You see, I’m not very good at balance — I’ve always been a kind of an all or nothing sort of gal.

Physically, I’m pretty decent with balance. In a former life, I was a recreational figure skater and I could do my spirals and my spins and I could land my basic jumps on one blade. I used to slalom water ski as well as snow ski and those take balance. When we had to do gymnastics in PE, I was horrible at every single part of it, except the balance beam.

Mentally, that’s another story. I used to think I was good at balance but only because I was juggling lots of things at once — which, in fact, is not a demonstration of balance at all, just an act of mental acrobatics.

I start making jewelry and that’s all I think about for the next couple of years. I decide to try my hand at art and I am almost paralyzed by the need for it to feel “perfect” and then I’m unable to do anything at all. I discover homeopathy and I drop everything else and decide there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to study this fascinating system of medicine.

So, having this mentality, I have perfected the art of giving stuff up, that’s for sure. (Remember, "all or nothing" was my motto.) I'm pretty good at embracing an all-encompassing deep dive on things, often at the expense of other things.

Even writing these articles -- recently taking a step back from writing weekly weighs on my mind heavily. It's a struggle to remember that "about weekly" (as I stated in the "about" section of Ruminating on Remedies) is not the same thing as weekly. However, it's never too late to start a good habit and I have finally come to the realization that it’s time to accept the idea of Wabi Sabi. I’ve heard of this concept before, but I am new to putting it into practice, but I like it, and I’m thinking this might be a good answer for me.

Wabi Sabi is a traditional Japanese aesthetic that celebrates the beauty of imperfection and impermanence. Perhaps embracing this philosophy is the way out of my all or nothing mentality.

Perfection, or the pursuit thereof, is an admirable goal, I suppose. But, it’s really not a very healthy way to live a life.

I always tell my clients when using homeopathy that we are NOT looking for perfection, we’re looking for improvement. (See: What Now and Perfect is the Enemy of the Good.) What is it we are looking for? As a reminder, we are looking for the symptoms to pop up a little less often and when they do, to be a little less intense and hopefully we see an improvement in mood and/or energy.

If one struggles with the idea of needing to be perfect, there are some excellent homeopathic remedies to consider.

Ignatia is the first remedy that comes to mind for perfection. Ailments from disappointments. Unhappy love. Idealistic. Nervous. High goals, high ambitions, high ideals and high expectations and a burning desire to fulfill them (Master 2009). Intolerant of contradiction. Expectation of others to be perfect. Strong sense of inner duty. 

Nux vomica for overstudy; "close application to business, with its cares and anxieties" (Vermeulen 2015). These mental strains may lead to the use of stimulants, possibly in excess. Keeping late hours and displaying an irritable temper. Everything makes too strong an impression on this overloaded nervous system. 

See also: Overwhelmed for further discussion comparing Ignatia and Nux vomica. 

Arsenicum album for the fastidious person who wants everything neat and clean and tidy and just right. Even when feeling poorly, the person who may benefit from Arsenicum alb may direct someone to tidy up the sick room a bit. This is a person who, in the words of George Vithoulkas, takes "order and cleanliness to the point of expending inordinate energy constantly cleaning and straightening" (Vithoulkas 2015).

Natrum muriaticum for one who is responsible and perfectionistic. They may "be compulsively fastidious, trying to control the environment". They may display a "type of hypochondria… expressed as an anxious desire to find the cause of every blemish or pimple" (Morrison 1993). Nat mur cell salt also plays an important role in balancing fluids in the body… if there is excessive dryness or excessive mucus production (for example), Nat mur may be of help.

As American poet Henry Van Dyke very eloquently states, “Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.”

Life is too short. Drop the idea of perfection. Let it go. Sing the song, regardless of talent. Paint the picture. Write the story. Live a good life and enjoy yourself while you're at it. 

Julia Coyte, CHom

Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

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Reference list: all books accessed through RadarOpus software

Master, F. J., 2009. Clinical Observations of Children Remedies B. Jain Publishing.

Morrison, R., 1993. Desktop guide to keynotes and confirmatory symptoms. Nevada City, Calif.: Hahnemann Clinic Pub.

Vermeulen, F., 2015. Concordant reference : complete classic materia medica : 1284 remedies. Glasgow: Saltire Books.

Vithoulkas, G., 2015. Essence of materia medica. Usa: B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.