"Balance is the key to everything. What we do, think, say, eat, feel, they all require awareness, and through this awareness we can grow." Koi Fresco
I'm guilty of it, I'm sure we all are. It's hard to keep balance in one's own life. I am someone who has her head all over the place, all of the time. In my life, I wear a lot of hats. I am a wife, a mother, an employee, a teacher, a caregiver, and everything in between. And, me personally, I want to do it all, and I want to do it now. I can be a little impulsive but for the most part I err of the side of realistic. For example, I find schedules to be very boring, but necessary, especially in this period of my life. The realist in me know that I have responsibilities, and expectations to be met daily. My employer expects me to do work, my family expects that the house will be tidy, laundry will be done and dinner will be made, and I expect that I am going to get a workout in and some self care. Let's be serious though, those tasks are just the tip of the iceberg, and the bare minimum. If I accomplish that in a day, it was a good day, and anything else is a bonus. So the question really isn't how do I get it all done in a day, cause the truth is I don't, not all of it, not everyday, it's a balance, some days more delicate than others.
One of my issues is I like my sleep. I thought it wouldn't be such a big task to start getting up an hour earlier, get my workouts in, a little self-care and quiet time, then get on about my day, but that didn't work for me. I already had a morning routine, that afforded me time with my husband, quiet time, and self care but when I added that workout to the mix, chaos. My body, nor my mind could adjust, I felt like I was constantly playing catch up, and I was exhausted. I had to really look at how my day operated and figure out, where I could fit that workout in. I finally fit it in at lunch and sometimes after work, depending on the boys schedule but everyone it's different, and all that matters is that you fit it in when you can, and accomplish that goal. Any workout completed is a good workout so I do what I can when I can.
Another problem I have is that I compartmentalize, everything, and I do well, sometimes too well. My brains literally works like one of those automatic closets. It focuses on what particular task is at hand in that particular moment and very little else. When said task is completed it spins or swipes forward and I move on. I know that sounds silly to some of you but I am not really sure how else to explain my process. What this does for me however is it allows me to really be in the moment of whatever it is I am doing, without any outside noise. In layman's terms, it just means when I am working out, I am working out, when I cooking dinner, I am cooking dinner, and when I am spending family time, I am spending family time. There are always distractions and sometimes even multi tasking but each goal is accomplished, one by one and checked off. When distractions, other tasks, and the like do pop up, I am able to receive them, file them, shift them to where they belong, and continue with whatever it is I am doing. Do I fail at this? Absolutely. Failure is a part of life, it's what I learn from my failure and how I apply it going forward that matters. Being able to adjust when things arise is important. I have especially found yoga and meditation to be helpful in realigning myself, especially over the last year. Breathing is far more important than we give it credit for.
Like every human on earth, I too have days like all of you, where I don't want to go to work, I don't want to work out, I don't want to cook dinner. I fail at laundry, and keeping the house up, and sometimes it all piles up and becomes overwhelming. When I feel like that, I take a step back, breathe, reassess and move on. Everyday is not going to go according to plan. Could you imagine if it did, life would be so very boring. It happens, work runs late, kids need to be dropped off and picked up, the chicken didn't defrost on time, someone has a rescheduled practice/game. It all eventually figures itself out. If the chicken isn't defrosted in time for tonight's dinner we'll have it tomorrow. If suddenly a kid has an appointment and we run late, maybe we grab take out or have a lunch meat sandwich. Truth is, even the best laid plans go awry. So while, I try very hard, everyday to stick to my schedule and to do lists, the reality of life passing me by does not sit well either so sometimes, i literally rip the schedule up and fly by the seat of my pants!
Overall, when I plan and make a schedule, I am happier and better able to keep up. However, the daily struggle is easier if I stay realistic, balance and shift because it not only allows me to accomplish the things that need to be done but also have a little fun in the process. In our home, there is NO pressure to be perfect. We lead with grace. We are all just humans, trying to make our way and do our best. Every morning, I wake up thankful that I get to see another day and move my body, not everyone is as lucky as I am. It's important to remember, we get to live this life, its a privilege. Sometimes, yes it feels like I am on a unicycle balancing several plates, trying not to let them fall, and then sometimes one falls, and instead of allowing that to be catastrophic every single time, we allow the load to lighten, giving us time to complete the tasks at hand. Then when the time is right, we pick that broken plate back up and recycle it back into the fold. Balance.