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Bringing balance to life's complexities

By Melissa Hirschl

The word “balance” has meant many things to me over the years. In my 20s it reflected my daily high-wire act--juggling boyfriends, work and a whirlwind social life.

In my 30s it meant not being overdrawn at the bank and taking my vitamins. Now, if my kids don’t have more than one birthday party on the same day, I consider my life balanced.

After talking with Leannn Thrapp, a registered nurse and specialist in the field of spiritual wellness, however, I have gained a much broader perspective on the concept of balance.

Kyrene Corrider residents can become likewise enlightened during Thrapp’s one-night class, “Balance, an Inside Job in an Outside World,” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5 at Kiwanis Recreation Center.

“My course teaches participants that real balance involves the spiritual, mental, physical and emotional aspects of human beings,” says Thrapp.

“People who are not happy about their relationships, jobs or lives in general can benefit enormously from attaining balance.”

From a mental standpoint, creating balance is really about clearing the mind’s blackboard and starting over,” Thrapp says.

“It’s also about honoring our emotions when they come up.”

As owner of a counseling center in Ahwatukee Foothills, Thrapp has ultra-keen insight into the concept of spiritual wellness.

Her staff offers a diverse array of programs and workshops designed to nurture the body, mind and spirit, such as Reiki, nutrition, counseling, yoga, massage, exercise and stress reduction.

These are all methods used not only to create balance but also to enhance relationships, spirituality and creativity.

During this life-examining class, participants look at where their lives are presently, where they’ve been and where they want to go.

“I teach people how to look at others in their life that get them out of balance, and why we let them do that,” says Thrapp.

“We need to create a sense of peace internally because, if we do that, we’ll have more peace externally. Most things we do are for other people--our kids, our spouses, our families, our jobs--everybody but us. We get to the point where we don’t even know who we are.”

During the balance class, participants reflect inward to discover their true essence. They re-evaluate their goals while contemplating what truly makes them happy.

“When we start looking internally, we have absolutely no clue who we are and how to create balance,” says Thrapp.

“This is because we are in touch with everyone else out there, except ourselves.”

Jeanne Redondo, a participant in a recent class, said Thrapp’s instruction helped her gain valuable insight.

“Ms. Thrapp’s class introduced me to a higher level of self awareness. It showed me that the connection between mind, body and spirit is stronger and deeper than I had imagined. I realized how powerful that connection can be.”

A point that Thrapp stresses is our inability to control other people’s emotions or actions. We can only be accountable for what we think and feel, she believes and to achieve total balance, other people’s emotions cannot interfere with our lives.

“That’s what balance means to me,” says Thrapp. “That’s your stuff, not mine and I can empathize with you but not own your emotions. That’s also using boundaries.”

Work is a good example to see where people get off-balance, according to Thrapp.

“We pull people along who aren’t doing their fair share of work, and we get angry instead of releasing our pent up frustrated feelings. It’s the same with our households. We expect our kids to put the trash out when it’s full, and our idea of full is different than theirs.

“Our kids don’t know what we need if we don’t tell them, and we’re not often good at telling people what we need; we just expect them to know.”

Setting priorities and boundaries are also major components of living a balanced life, according to Thrapp.

She emphasizes in her course how crucial it is to not put more on your plate than you can handle; people need to know when to say “no” to others’ requests and thereby set boundaries in their lives.

“These are very simple things that people sometimes don’t know how to do,” says Thrapp.

Balance: An Inside Job in an Outside World” will be offered Monday, November 5^th, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Call Kiwanis Park Recreation Center at (480) 350-5201 if you are interested. You can also visit the center online at www.tempe.gov/pkrec/krc to register. Fee: $27.

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