But how do we leverage life’s duties and delights to have the best quality of life and our highest level of accomplishment?
It’s easy in theory juggling our multiple roles. But how do we leverage life’s duties and delights to have the best quality of life and our highest level of accomplishment? We are simultaneously worker, wife, mother, housekeeper, PTA parent, community volunteer, and caregiver for parents, and maybe also student to boot! The problem is that circle of activities does not make us whole. It is not complete. Where is the time for a social life and entertainment? Where is the time for self-care and relaxation? Where is the time for exercise and sleep? The one thing where we are all created equal is 24 hours to each day. When our selfless, self-sacrifice and service begins to stress us out, weaken our immune system and our hormones go out of whack, do we realize we need help?!
Managing time and setting priorities are important.
Managing time and setting priorities are important. We have all heard the story of the rocks, pebbles, and sand. The jar starts out empty and is filled first with large rocks representing what we value most: our health, family and aspirations. The pebbles represent things that give life meaning: our job, homes, hobbies and friendships. The sand represents the small stuff that fills our time that possibly can be done by others for us. There is always room for water representing the spirit of love surrounding every aspect of our lives.
The curse arises when we cannot let go of unrealistic expectations of ourselves.
The curse arises when we cannot let go of unrealistic expectations of ourselves. When we :want to do it perfectly; are competitive and go overboard; micromanage; do not accept help; do not ask for help; do not know how to say “no”; do not know how to take care of ourselves; make everybody else a priority; ignore the signs of stress; do not allow ourselves to be vulnerable; do not acknowledge our weaknesses; feel like we have to do it alone; do not help others help themselves; and do not know how to pass the baton. We shouldn’t wait until our hair is falling, out nails are cracking and we have acne like an adolescent to make changes. Theses unrealistic expectations leads to fear, anxiety, and physical symptoms such as muscle tension, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches and insomnia. Staying in denial can lead to weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
We need assistance to understand the triggers that allow us to sabotage our time management strategies, undermine our priorities and infiltrate our “me” time.
We need a vision beyond ourselves. We need a higher perspective. We need assistance to understand the triggers that allow us to sabotage our time management strategies, undermine our priorities and infiltrate our “me” time. Empowered women empower women. We need to seek out those empowered women in our lives that can assist us in these areas of unrealistic expectations of ourselves and go to the root of their causes to weed them out! This is a conscious process that requires introspection and worldly advice.
We have the opportunity to live in peace even when the world around us is in the chaos.
A life of balance and clarity is available to all of us. We have the opportunity to live in peace even when the world around us is in the chaos. My Mothers’ Council that I use for Self-Care helps me do just that. This opportunity is available to us to uncover what is blocking our prosperity, peace, and serenity. Use Self-Mothering to find your empowering Mothers’ to help you find your Joy today!
