Being a working mom is hard enough. You work a forty-hour week, clock out, and then still have your next full-time job of motherhood. Sounds easy enough when it’s black and white, right? There’s actually so much more depth to it. Being a career-driven mom is like a relationship. It isn’t always 50/50. It’s sometimes 30/70. So how do you balance it?
As a mom who has currently experienced career growth, it has been challenging in many ways. I was recently promoted to my first supervisory position, and it has been a whirlwind! Initially, I was excited about professional growth, but then hard work came quickly afterward.
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I found myself immersed in my goal of learning all I could and putting my best foot forward.
In this, I briefly lost myself outside of work. I fell behind in my role as a mother, wife, friend, and, most importantly, myself. Here are a few tips that helped me get back on track:
Prioritize “YOU” time
For me, this consists of waking up early and reading my bible, and devotionals with prayer. This sets the tone for the day. I also made it a point to take time once a week to do a hobby I love. Examples of this are baking sourdough, reading, coloring, and crotcheting (even though I’m quite terrible at it).
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Be Intentional with Your Time
This applied more to me regarding my son. After work, all I wanted to do was crawl into bed to nap or watch TV because I was mentally drained. I started with just getting outside. Even if it was me sitting in a lawn chair under a tree while he played on his swing set or trampoline. Then I gradually started getting back to being active outdoors. Now I am even making time to just toss a baseball with him. These are all things I did prior to my promotion, but unfortunately stopped due to the work demand.
Quality Time with Your Partner
My spouse is my biggest cheerleader. He has supported any and all dreams I have wholeheartedly. During this time, I found myself dumping all my frustrations on him. It was almost like I was angry at him for being supportive. Silly, right? It happens though! We now prioritize time together and truly make sure we are doing our best to not just listen, but hear each other. It’s not just date nights that accomplish this, it’s talking while cooking and/or any small tasks. It takes just a few minutes to share feelings with someone you love and trust.
Have a Good Support System
I have amazing friends that I can vent to and, in return, will share meaningful conversations and keep me in their prayers. I also make sure to do the same as I believe in the power of prayer. Having family by your side who truly love you can help because they can help bring you back to the correct path.
These tips are not all-inclusive, and you won’t always get it right, but I want to share a reminder. It’s only a job. We can want professional growth but also they can replace us. Our loved ones cannot. We work to live, not live to work. Motherhood is our most important job!
The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of El Paso Mom, its executive team, other contributors to the site, its sponsors or partners, or any organizations the aforementioned might be affiliated with.
