Lifes a-Bicycle - How to Balance Your Life Like You Balance a Bike

Academy of Creative Living
Life’s A Bicycle
IF You Can
Balance A BIKE,
You Can
Balance Your LIFE!
© 2015 Sharon M. Barnes LCSW PLLC

Life’s A Bicycle
Every time You
RIDE a bike
or SEE a bike, You will REMEMBER to
Tune In
Tune Up
Take off
To Balance Your LIFE
Just Like You Balance a BIKE
www.TherapistForSensitiveAndGifted.com

Do You -
Feel overwhelmed?
Suffer from Compassion Fatigue?
Feel tugged in too many directions at once?

Balancing Your Life
is Like Balancing a Bike!
• Both are Mind-body skills
• Both require Dynamic--not static--balance
Dynamic Balance
o Flexes when the road or path varies
o Responds to changes in weather & traffic
o Accommodates shifts in body, mind & emotions
o Adjusts to continual movement
o Allows you to GET & STAY balanced

Would You Like to
GET and STAY balanced
Thrive AND Reach your goals
Become STRONG and FLEXIBLE
Build on body-mind skills you ALREADY have
Go BACK to Kindergarten for some FUN!

What You’ll Learn -
3 KEY LIFE BALANCE SKILLS
THE MOST COMMON SINGLE MISTAKE
HOW TO CORRECT IT
3 WAYS TO CHECK FOR THE SOURCE OF
TROUBLE
2 QUICK AND EASY TOOLS

Why?
Life = Stress (Holmes Rahe)
Stress makes you sick
= Life makes you sick?
– It did to my husband Gary
– It did to me
– We were in the 80%
– Would you like to be in the 20%?

Who?
Who gets the most negative
impact from stress? CASIGYs™!
Creative, Curious, Complex
Acutely Aware
Super-Sensitive
Intense, Introverted, Intelligent and/or
Gifted
YOU?

Life’s A Bicycle
Can You Ride A Bike?

3 KEY Bike Balance Skills
1. Tune in
2. Tune up
3. Take off

3 KEY Life Balance Skills
1. Tune in
2. Tune up
3. Take off

1. Tune In
Most Common Mistake
–Ignore it
How to Correct It
–Tune In = Pay Attention

How’s Your Ride?
Smooth?
Bumpy?
Got a flat?
Anyone run into any bumps
lately?

Signs of Bike Imbalance
Wobbly
Slow down
Fall
Work harder
???

Signs of Life Imbalance
Irritability/over-
reactions
Anxiety/Depression
Fatigue
Inability to concentrate
Dis-ease
Sleep disruption/
changes
Appetite/eating
/weight changes
Overwhelming
emotions
Life crisis or chaos
Decreased sex drive
Mistakes or accidents

Prime Times for CASIGY™
Imbalances to Occur
Marriage
Divorce
Change of job
Change of residence
Change of family size
Illness
Death
Loss of Job
Financial difficulties
Life transitions
Hunger, fatigue,
boredom
Leg-lifting experiences
In abnormal circumstances,
abnormal feelings are
normal (Bryan)

Leg-Lifting
Leg-Lowering
How to Know When
Things Are Out of Balance

3 Ways to Find
the Source of Trouble
1. Stop
2. Look
3. Listen
4. Feel

What do you find when
you Stop, Look &Listen?
How are you feeling today?
Tool #1: Daily Tune-In Tool (TNT)
Tool #2: Creative &
Contemplative Handwork™

CASGIY™ Toolbox: Daily TNT™ (Tune-iN Tool)
DAY What’s happening? What/how am I feeling?
(Body sensations and/or emotions)
1 1
2
3
1
2
3
2 1
2
3
1
2
3
3 1
2
3
1
2
3
4 1
2
3
1
2
3
5 1
2
3
1
2
3
6 1
2
3
1
2
3
7 1
2
3
1
2
3
Building Personal Power starts with self-awareness, which is also an important coping tool, especially for CASIGYs
(Creative, Aware, Sensitive, Intense, Gifted You-s). One way to expand your self-awareness is to tune in to what is
happening inside of you and to connect it to what is happening around you. Becoming ‘strong on the inside” starts with
small (sometimes boring) skill-building tasks, like sit-ups or push-ups with physical exercise, or practicing scales with
music. As you use it consistently, this Daily TNT™ can help you strengthen and expand your inner strength & resilience.
I recommend developing a habit of taking five to ten minutes daily to reflect on the last 24 hours. Ask yourself, ‘What’s
been happening?” and “How am I feeling?” and write down the two or three most salient things that occur to you. Writing
this down allows you to make it concrete and tangible. It becomes more real, which can be intimidating  but is in the
end, both freeing & empowering. Writing it down can help you release what you don’t want as well as give you more
access to it for identifying patterns and making positive changes; even more reasons I recommend doing it. 
Questions?Comments? Email me: Sharon@TherapistForSensitiveAndGifted.com Phone me: (USA) 303-987-0346
Skype: scrap-lady-sharon.m.barnes © 2007-2015 Sharon M. Barnes, LCSW, PLLC

2. Tune Up
We Resist Tune Ups
Time
$
Pandora’s box
Take care of others first
???

Flight Attendants’
Secret Formula
Put on your own oxygen mask first
– BUT we’re supposed to love others first!
WRONG!
– Love your neighbor AS YOURSELF
• Your love for others is limited by …..
YOUR CAPACITY TO LOVE YOURSELF!

Tune Up -
The Art of Bicycle Maintenance
Why Tune Up?
Start riding
Smoother ride
Less effort
More FUN
Care for yourself so you CAN
care for others

Tune Up
The Art of Bicycle Maintenance
HOW to Tune Up:
Check (Tune In)
Clean (Regular/Seasonal)
Lubricate (Decrease Friction)
Adjust Small changes = Big effect
Replace or Repair (what you can)
Repair Shop (When to Get Help)

We all have our favorites

3 Tools CASIGYs™ can
USE to Restore Balance
1. Breathe (8-4-7) x 4
2. Give thanks
3. Stretch
4. Laugh
5. Physical Exercise

3. Take Off
It’s about the Journey . . . AND the Destination
Get started exploring new territory
Stay on Track
One Pedal at a Time
Pace Yourself
Pedal, pedal, pedal
Finish
Celebrate

Life’s A Bicycle
Every time You SEE a bike
or RIDE one, Remember —
All You have to do is:
Tune In
Tune Up
Take off
To Balance Your CASIGY™ LIFE
Just Like You Balance a BIKE
www.TherapistForSensitiveAndGifted.co
m

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