After a very busy 2nd quarter of 2006, I am looking back and realizing that I haven't been living a very balanced life. While my business has been flourishing, I realize that I've sacrificed any semblance of a personal life the past few months.
I guess the best way to look at things is by looking at the roles I fulfill and grading them. First and foremost on my list is "parent". While I have been available to my kids, I also know that I've been lacking. As a grade, I'd give myself a C. Hmmm…passing, but certainly room for improvement. As a business owner / career woman? A. My business has more than doubled and you would certainly see that I am dedicated….
But when it comes to being a woman, I have to admit I will need to give myself an "F".
See, I'm not doing a very good job at taking care of myself. I direct all my energies to work – and then the kids – and I'm finding that I have nothing left for me. I've put on some weight, I haven't made it to the gym as often as I should, and my diet has gone (if you pardon my French) to pure shit. When it comes to the relationship department, I've had about 4 dates in the last three months, all with dear friends who are simply friends – that live hundreds of miles away. And when it comes to indulging the creative side of me, the only words I've written are my columns here at All Things Girl. I've written less than 500 words on the book that lives within the circuits of my computer.I'm a strong woman, I know that because I've been through some hard times over the last few years and have come out of it feeling stronger and more secure about the woman that I am. So I know that eventually I will get things back in balance. But I've also realized that it's going to take a combination of my inner strength that I know is inside me – with a little help from others….
I can't attack everything at one time, so I've started looking at what I can control the easiest: what goes in my mouth.
One of the steps I've made is to start working with nutritionist Jennifer Pereira. (You will see her columns here in ATG.) In my first consultation, we got down to the nitty-gritty of things. I know what I'm supposed to do, but just don't always do it. I am a reactive eater: When I'm stressed, I eat. When I am upset, I can't eat. When I get busy, I eat at odd hours. We agreed that I'd simply make an attempt the first week or two to eat small meals every 3 hours or so. I was reminded to eat protein with my good-for-me carbohydrates.
Jennifer reminded me of one thing that I had forgotten: stop beating myself up over mistakes. Her philosophy of just noting the mistake and moving on was what I needed to hear from an "expert".
It's not the full balance I need, but it's a step in the right direction. And that's all I can ask of myself – to just take the steps I need as I continue on this journey of life.