We are in a phase of transition in our house, & I'm having a hard time feeling successful - like superwoman who can single handledly manage a household, a family, work, & a training plan. I'm exhausted, stressed, & probably not the best mother/wife/employee I could be. Michael is in the midst of a job switch, which comes with its own stresses. I am hopeful that after his work situation is ironed out, I can figure out my own job, because my work is getting less flexible by the day. And my life? It needs maximum flexibility. As my job gets less flexible, & my hours increase, I feel this huge weight - can I leave in enough time to pick up the boys and take them to baseball practice? When will I see Michael? He's home for one day before he leaves again. What about running? What about just 30 minutes to myself? Who am I disappointing today?
I know this is a hugely long & rambling post, so please forgive me. I'm really trying to come to terms with not being able to accomplish all that I want in my life right now, & that's a very foreign feeling for me. And, not something that I'm handling terribly gracefully at the moment. So, my apologies to my lovely & fabulous husband & kids, because I am working on it. And, I'm also working on being kinder to myself on days when I feel like a failure, because those days happen more often than I care to admit, & it doesn't do me any favors to reflect back on them & get angry with myself all over again.
At the end of the day, I know that I have to make time for me - time to work out, time to run, time to treat myself well. I'm in a period of adjustment & change, & I will get through & adjust to waking up at 5:00 am & running, or squeezing in a run during baseball practice, or at 8:00 pm, or whatever works that day. I'm trying to remember that I just finished a race on Sunday, & having a few lighter running days (okay, honestly - days when I'm not really running) is not going to kill me as I try to find creative ways to make this work. It's just not. But, eating like crap compounds the problem & only makes me feel worse. Let's hope I remember that tonight. ;-)
I thought my outfit looked cute when I left the house, but I'm pretty sure the trouser cut jeans + flats just doesn't work, so I'm skipping the full body shot. I promise that you're not missing out.
Striped tank - Forever 21
Blue drop necklace - Tiffany & Co
Transformer phone - courtesy of my kiddos
My goal? To figure out a way to manage our household & our lives differently, so everyone has less stress. That plan is still in motion, but I'm strongly considering cutting back my hours at work. I've always been a very career driven person, so this has been a hard thing for me to wrap my head around. But at the end of the day, if there aren't enough hours in the day for all of your priorities to happen, something has to give.
And now, please share: your best stress relieving tips. I need them. :-) Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to put it all out there, because it is so helpful. I promise that my next post will be more inspirational! :-)
So been there -- and I work part-time. Wish I had some tips for you. :( Running is really the only way I relieve stress.
ReplyDeleteFound you through Ricole. I have FB page of local women runners if you want to join. We post our long runs and try to meet up -- usually someone can since there are almost 50 of us. :)
I know - running IS my stress reliever. I just have to figure it out. So happy we have a treadmill at home, because I'd be lost without it. :-)
ReplyDeleteWould love the info on the FB page! Just responded on your blog.
Early to bed, early to rise. Getting a few hours in before the rest of the house wakes up, helps me to conquer stuff easier. Also, running/exercising for sure! Good luck, glad I found your blog. :) Jessica
ReplyDeleterunningtobeskinny.com
If you find a crazy secret let me know! I work part time and can never seem to find all the time I need to get it all done either Although I do think it is important to make time for yourself and stress relief, laundry can usually stand to wait a little longer :)
ReplyDeleteOh man...it sounds like you need a good run. :) I know, I'm so helpful.
ReplyDeleteJust found you blog - I know, oh HOW I know what you mean! I just got through a tough two months of non stop work/kids/life on top of training. It's tough. Just like with running - chunk it up - chop up deadlines and goals into small increments and reward yourself when you pass milestones (heck, one Girl Scout meeting is justification for a Blizzard or movie night for me).
ReplyDeleteYoga specifically helps chill me out. Running is great for the sweating, but it does not relax me. It will make me tired, but not relaxed. If you din't have time for a full yoga session, just try deep breathing with your eyes closed.
ReplyDeleteI'm always impressed how people do it all, I haven't really had to juggle everything like that yet. But maybe there's something (like cooking crock pot meals instead or cleaning?) that can be moved to the back burner? Exercising always helps me feel less stressed.
ReplyDeletei don't know how you or any other moms do it. fitting it all in without going crazy is one of my biggest fears once i start a family. i don't think anyone has the right "way"; i do think a lot of people make it up as they go along or just cope.
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