The first step in achieving work life balance as a working mom
Is work-life balance something you desire to be true but feels impossible to attain? Mama, you are not alone. Many moms with whom I speak quickly brush away any conversation as soon as I say the word balance.
It’s like balance has this negative connotation that now moms prefer to not even speak of because they feel it’s not possible.
Affiliate Disclaimer: Some of these resources may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission. There is no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support.
What does it even mean to be achieving work life balance?
Now, traditionally work life balance has focused more on equally giving of time and energy to your different responsibilities [I share more about this in another blog post here]. But let us imagine balance to be a feeling – a feeling of calm, ease, joy, purpose and focus. Let balance be something only YOU can define for yourself.
In that scenario, which is the one I share with my clients, I’ve created a 3-part framework to dissect how we go from this place of complete overwhelm and dislike for the day-to-day grind, to authentic smiles and positive thinking about life as a working parent.
Today’s blog post will share more on that very first, but mighty step.
Step #1: Develop authentic self-care practices
First, self-care has 3 main components to it: mind, body and soul.
The mind is all about your purpose and focus. It is building a positive and growth mindset that allows you to withstand some of the struggles that are inevitable with motherhood.
For example:
- Your baby will go through a sleep regression.
- You will have to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Your toddler will destroy your living room
- Sleep is kindaaa questionable
With a forward-thinking mindset, the inevitable parts of motherhood won’t overpower your energy and mood for the duration of the day. Yes, the moments may be stressful, but it won’t last.
The body is exactly as it sounds – nurturing and treating your body well. No – it does not mean you NEED to exercise for one hour every single day. But it does mean that you are feeding positivity to your body [literally and figuratively].
For example:
- Going for a walk in the mornings
- Drinking a glass of water in the morning and before bed
- Yoga stretches throughout the week
- A light workout
- Simply going out in nature
The soul is everything in-between – it includes the things that make you happy, feed your soul and you just simply enjoy. This part is all about showering love for yourself in whatever way makes sense to YOU.
For example:
- Spa day once a month
- Making your favorite dinner once a week
- Decluttering your side of the bathroom
- Going on a yearly family trip
- Calling your bestfriend
The key to achieving work life balance
Now the key to this step #1 is practicing a combination of these different self-care practices in an authentic way to YOU.
When I say authentic, I mean that the self-care practices you are adding into your daily routines has To be something that speaks to you personally. With your soul self-care practices, you want those to be something you actually love to do – don’t make shrimp pasta for yourself if you hate shrimp, right?!
However, for the other two (mind and body) it does not mean that you have to LOVE it but that you are willing to try it. I would give yourself 3 weeks, at least, trying 1 practice and then you can try another after. For some people, it makes sense you do a verbal visualization for their mindset practice but for others it may be journaling.
You need to have a better understanding of the long-term game
With everything you do, you need to think about the long game for yourself. Which one of these practices are going to help you elevate your life’s purpose (something you’d be refining during this step too). Nothing should be done without purpose.
The purpose and clarity for your purpose as a working mom (which does and can change overtime) is what will keep you sane and smiling despite the crazy daily chaos. That is why this is step #1.
Tell me >> how do you feel about self-care practices and adding them into your DAILY schedule?!<< I’d love to hear your thoughts!
