Advice on Balancing Family and Stress
As you can tell from many of my posts the last couple of months, minimizing has helped de-stress and balance our family a little more. It is and will be a work in progress and I learn to balance family and stress. Moving also reduces stress oddly enough. Sometimes it takes a kick in the butt to do something you really want to do. We didn’t want to move because it’s expensive and a pain. The process isn’t awesome, but the end result really is great.
My gauges for knowing I’m stressed are — I get headaches and then I can’t sleep. Headaches clue me in that something is going on. It’s not always a bad thing. I could just be tired or not drinking enough. But I pay very close attention when I have one. If I’m having difficulty sleeping it’s an indication that there’s stress. Always. If both happen, I put on the brakes and evaluate. For a while, off and on I noticed Advil PM was becoming my friend. I wanted to force my body to sleep and not be in pain. Not good.
Sometimes all I need is a good chat and a run. Not always in that order. Sometimes — not often — it’s more than that. If words like “exhausted”, “wreck”, “dissatisfied”, “overwhelmed”, “obligated” start coming out of my mouth there’s a problem. Being able to recognize and admit our limitations and desires, delegate things that are in our power, disengage with social media for a while and tune in is important in finding balance. For everyone, it will mean something different. Even for me, the stressors aren’t the same every time. Life changes. Rolling with it, being laid back, laughing are all great ideas, but sometimes it’s not enough.
Often we compare ourselves. I would be happier, more content, less stressed if I had, did, was what someone or something is. I need a bigger house, a nicer car, better clothing, that specific pair of shoes, to be thinner, run further and faster, have less body fat… When this date comes things will be better, I can’t wait for that to happen. It seems we all have difficulty living IN the moment, unplugging, being present, enjoying where we are on this journey we call life. We’re always wishing it away.
Where you are isn’t a bad thing. Even within the stress, it’s still moving forward. We do have the ability to alter how we look at a situation even if we can’t change it. Sometimes change is happening but slowly. Setbacks are normal. Balance comes and goes. It’s a constant battle to find a happy medium between stress and feeling relaxed and happy. Be gentle with yourself, set goals and priorities, and breathe.
Originally published at https://www.momof18.com.
Jenn is Mom of 18, Transformational Coach for Christian women, host of At A Crossroads with The Naked Podcaster, Author, Runner, Minimalist, & Healthy Lifestyle Advocate
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