We often talk about how we can pacify a dosha through the method of opposing qualities. If your fire is high, stop eating spicy food. If your mind won’t settle, find ways to create anchors in your day. Still, for each person I encounter needing this type of action, I find one that isn’t feeding their inherent needs or desires. Moreover, I find the creative not creating, the leaders not leading, and the nurturers not nurturing. I can speculate the reason for this is our predominate vata-pitta society—a society that pushes to do more and alway expect the best. This setup leaves little time for us to imagine or rest and can promote feelings of never being enough. When this happens, we are left feeling unfulfilled or living a life that isn’t true to ourselves.

Be it something we strive to do in a day, a week or a month, I find including these three missions essential for the making of a balanced life. They act as diagnostic methods by revealing things we have been missing and treatment plans by putting us back on track for feeling mentally, physically and emotionally well.

Be Inspired

Plain and simple, we don’t daydream anymore. It seems like a waste of time to some, but to me it creates a feeling of liberation and potential that can be stifled in the daily grind. Think back to things you did while growing up that are creative activities and consider going back to your roots. Dance, draw, daydream.

Be Organized

It could be the swirling to do list that you haven’t put onto paper or the pile of mail that you need to sort through. Never underestimate the potential of the scattered scene’s potential to create feelings of anxiety. Look and your inner and outer landscape and find the things that are pulling you in different directions. Then, pause to plan.

Be Still

This is a tough one for the “productive” people. Rest is missing from most of our lives. My favorite way to evaluate the need to rest is to view our activities as food. We understand that overeating can make digestion sluggish. If we think about having to digest all of the things that we do, we might conclude that we aren’t giving ourselves enough down time. Slow down, stop and be still.