Have you been caught up in the rush, rush world of trying to get more done?

You know what they say about the rat race, the race is over, and the rats won.

Here's how to know when you're taking the appropriate steps you need to maintain a balance between your professional life and your personal life. I call the roster below “signs of having breathing space in your life again.”

How many of these apply to you right now, and how many more can you make applicable with a little more awareness and a little more kindness toward yourself?

* You wake up each morning without an alarm clock and have time for reflection.
* You leave the workday on time, engrossed with what's next and not with work.
* You play with your child for hours on Saturday with little to no concern about the time.
* You eat dinner early in the evening, at a leisurely pace.
* You re-subscribe to the local community theatre's fall series.

* You re-engage in a hobby with renewed enthusiasm.
* You make a new friend about once a month.
* You book a cruise or trans-oceanic trip for the first time in years.
* You volunteer for a charitable activity that has interested you for a long time.
* You notice that your retirement account has grown to a lofty sum.

* You fit into clothes you once put away because you'd ‘outgrown’ them.
* You take naps throughout the week and feel good about it.
* You view a sunrise nearly once a month and you witness many sunsets.
* You frequent some of the area's best parks. Occasionally, you feed the ducks.