Do you have a good sense of work-life balance?

I recently took part in an online webinar, developed by Stephanie Marston entitled 30 Days to Sanity.  The course is designed to help individuals by learning when to prioritize themselves, their family and their work to provide work-life balance.

We all have different roles in life, some of mine include being a wife, mother to a very active and curious toddler, friend, sister, daughter, occupational therapist with three part-time jobs, and the icing on the cake – a blog contributor and content creator.  Many people have told me they can’t imagine how it is that I keep my schedule straight. I might keep the daily routine under control, with the help of my trusty iPhone and scheduling book, but there is no denying that when I come home at the end of the day, or finally get some moments of spare time over the weekend during Gavin’s nap, I can get very stressed and overwhelmed. With every minute in the day truly at a premium, I feel like I’m constantly chasing my tail, and always behind with the monotony of house cleaning, laundry and meal preparation. Though I wouldn’t consider myself a “type-a personality,” I do like to be organized with items all tucked neatly into their individual places.  Not having enough time in the day has led to so much resentment, frustration and guilt when I can’t do it all to my preferred specifications. Years ago my husband even nick-named me “no-nuf.” Nuf for fun spelled backwards, I guess spontaneity, “letting go,” and stress management have really never been my forte.

The 30 Days to Sanity Course was very helpful to re-shape my mindset. The modules were short, interactive and full of easy to understand information that was presented in a variety of formats (checklists, inspirational quotes, slideshows and videos) for all different learning styles. In general, I found the information to be very validating and empowering. I always feel overwhelmed and participating in this webinar gave me a sense of relief and control. Hearing these suggestions from someone else, finally gave me the permission to start to make some positive changes.

Some of the key points I took away from the course included:

– Myself, my family and my work can all be important; but the priority of these roles can and will shift, on a daily basis.

– We have all heard that we need to take time for ourselves. I always felt like I would love nights out with my friends, a nice pedicure, expensive dinner with my husband or a trip to visit my best friend in Florida.  I was too overwhelmed to realize that I should take 5 minutes a day for myself to close my eyes and take a moment for me. I love to read, but have always done so in marathon fashion, hours on end until I finish the book. I now travel in my car with a book, and even if I only get 5 minutes a day and it takes me forever to read the book, I can at least say that I have a hobby that is within my price range, that fulfills me, for at least some time in the day.

– I set goals with the kids I work with everyday, it’s what I am professionally trained to do, though I never applied it to my own life. I know I can’t be home for my son 10 extra hours per day, but I can feel good about spending 30 minutes of uninterrupted playtime with him when I get home and I can complete one household chore per day for 10 minutes, even if it’s a just a simple swish of the toilet bowl or emptying the dishwasher.

Thank you Stephanie Marston for giving me a new lease on my life, I’m pretty sure my family will thank you to.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of the 30 Days to Sanity Campaign and received access to the webinar and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”