I recently had to create some boundaries in my life related to my schedule. My schedule was overpacked resulting in stress, lack of sleep and impacted our family negatively. I have a personality that thrives off of being busy and productive, therefore, eliminating some things from my life was not an easy task.
Also complicating my decision to eliminate some things is the fact that I am a stay-at-home mom. Two out of three of my kids are in public school. In theory, I have time to pack tasks and things into my schedule. I felt guilty admitting that I needed to free up my schedule knowing many mothers do not have the luxury to create a calmer schedule.
Do What is Best for You
It is better to understand what works best for you and your family instead of falling into the pressures society puts on you. The struggle to keep up with what society tells me I should be is a personal struggle. I have a hard time saying no tasks and helping others with tasks.
We recently moved to another house. In the process, I decided to drop a volunteer job that had been a part of my life for five years. It was a difficult decision and one that I shed many tears over. The volunteer job was something that benefited others and provided a much-needed community for me with other women.
Despite all the positives of the volunteer gig, our lives had significantly changed over the last five years. The details of the move, home sales, purchase, paperwork and more became mostly my responsibility while my husband focused on work. As long as I created the time, I had time to remove home pressures off of my husband. Keeping my schedule packed during the move only added additional stress, and some things had to go.
Do Not Try to be All the Things
I realized that in trying to juggle a lot of things in our lives, I was not doing anything with excellence. Everything in my life was only getting a fraction of my attention, including my husband and children. My brain was tired and distracted the majority of the time. My kids are still at a stage where they want and crave my attention, and I do not want to look back at this stage with regrets.
During my move, I took a break from some of the normal activities in my schedule. I felt more present in our daily lives and with our kids. Although I know I will eventually add more back to my schedule, I feel relief with my current calmer schedule.
Rest
Our bodies need rest and quiet. When we can, it is okay to create a time margin in our lives and enjoy the calm. In the weeks following our move, I have unpacked little. My brain and body are tired. I am learning to be okay with a slower pace and take the time to rest and recover. The house will get unpacked and the house will become organized as I recoup from the recent stress. I am hopeful that a period of rest and calm will rejuvenate me and energize me for what is to come.
Read more about my juggles as a busy mom in this post here.
