Maintaining Balance: The Necessity of Instability
By Tiffany Andras
We’ve been taught to chase stability like it’s the promised land. Find the right morning routine. The perfect workout. The ideal work-life blend. And once you find it—don’t change a thing.
But here’s the truth: life is movement. You are movement. And balance—real balance—is not a fixed state of stillness. It’s not about achieving equilibrium and holding it forever. It’s about riding the waves of life with agility, grace, and compassion. It’s a dance.
Why Equilibrium Isn’t the Goal
In Love, Freedom, and Aloneness, Osho reminds us that discomfort is not a flaw in the system. It’s a signal—a nudge that you’ve outgrown your current state and are being called to move, shift, or evolve. Maybe you’re meant to move from doing to resting. From connection into solitude. From noise into silence. Or the other way around.
If we chase equilibrium as a final destination—a perfect plan that never wavers—we’ll be disappointed again and again. The real wisdom is learning to flow with life’s changes, not against them.
Equilibrium is stillness. But balance? Balance is alive.
Just like standing on one leg, true balance is constant adjustment. Muscles fire and release, recalibrate, shift, and pivot—second by second. There’s no perfection. There’s only responsiveness. And that responsiveness is your power.
The Role of Discomfort in Growth
Discomfort isn’t your enemy. It’s your internal GPS.
Feeling off? Disconnected? Tired? Numb? Anxious? Instead of making that wrong, what if you got curious? What if you allowed it to point you toward what needs tending?
Sometimes that means giving yourself more rest. Sometimes it means reaching out for connection. Sometimes it means turning off the noise and getting still. The trick is—there is no one right answer. And there never will be.
You are a living system.
You are allowed to change.
Balance is a Practice of Awareness
To live in balance, you must first know yourself well enough to notice when you’re out of it.
This means:
Tuning into your energy: Are you depleted or overflowing?
Listening to your emotions: Are you flatlining or overwhelmed?
Tracking your behavior: Are you numbing, avoiding, or grasping for control?
And then, gently asking:
“What would help me feel more like myself right now?”
This is a practice of presence. Not perfection.
Your Self-Care is Not a Prescription—It’s a Dance
There is no “perfect plan” that works forever. What worked for you last month might not serve you this week. What brought you balance yesterday might not today. And that’s not failure. That’s being human.
You don’t need a strict regimen.
You need a toolbox—and the self-awareness to know which tools to use when.
The beauty of this approach is that it gives you permission to shift. To evolve. To rest without guilt. To seek without shame. To embrace your aliveness.
Call to Action: Build Your Balance List
Take 10–15 minutes and reflect on the following:
What activities, practices, or people help you feel in balance?
These might include:
Meditation
Laughter
Fishing
Prayer
Walking in nature
Journaling
Talking to a friend
Reading
Playing music
Gardening
Getting a good night’s sleep
Breathing deeply
Silence
Make a list. Post it somewhere you’ll see it.
You’re not required to do them all at once—but know your options.
Each day, check in with yourself. What do you need more of? What needs to be dialed down? Let this become a gentle, living rhythm of self-responsiveness.
This is balance.
Not a destination. A relationship with your own aliveness.