Keeping the Balance

As a woman in her 20’s who is about to become a mother for the first time without the help of a husband or boyfriend, and working full time, life can get pretty hectic. My job demands 100% of my attention from the moment I log onto my computer to when I log out. Some days, I have back to back meetings and need to rush to get a few things accomplished before I leave at five. By the time I arrive home, I am exhausted. All I want to do is collapse into bed and not wake up until it’s time to start over again the next day.

However, being pregnant and in the last trimester, that is not an option for me. Making sure I make a well balanced dinner before going to bed to feed the little person inside my belly is one of the most important things I do for the day. And that’s if I’m lucky enough to be able to go straight home without running any errands after work. When you are preparing to have a baby, there are a mulitude of things that you feel you have to get done before the arrival. In between scheduling your doctor’s appointments and getting the necessary baby items, you feel pulled in a thousand directions. There are times when breaking down and crying seems to be the only option left. Also a little self pity seems to be the key at certain moments. After the tears are done, I do some meditation breathing. Yoga has always been an off and on hobby of mine. Even though I am not one of those dedicated yoga mat toting people, the lesssons I have learned from “Living Yoga” have stayed with me throughout my daily struggles.

When everything seems to be crashing upon my shoulders, I take a few deep breaths and with each release, I let go of what I was thinking about. That only begins to ease the tension I feel. Unfortunately I am not very good at completely emptying my mind and something else will enter it to stress me out. So after a few more deep breaths, I just sit there in the calmness and silence around me. I make sure there is no tv on and I’m not anywhere near my phone. In the surrounding silence, time seems to slow down just a little bit. Life isn’t just rushing by anymore. When time is moving at a slower pace, I can actually gather my thoughts and put together a plan of action versuses just going and going. Stress seems to happen when you are overwhelmed with things that need to be done like paying bills or getting your car fixed. When you take a moment out of your day to step outside of your ongoing list, you realize it’s all about doing things one step at a time. You cannot possibly do everything in one day. You forgive yourself for letting it all build up inside of you. You see a bigger picture of what is around you. Lastly, in silence, you are grateful for even a moment you have to spare. And being grateful helps to remind you of all the other blessings you have in your life. By then another list is running through my mind. A list of things that I have in my life and not what I don’t. You can do this lying down with your eyes wide open or just sitting in a comfortable chair staring at the wall. It doesn’t have to take long, just enough time to make you feel sane again.