I knew that if I was going to find myself again -- and subsequently get back to being "Mandy" -- that I needed to make some changes. I needed to put myself in a better place and figure out how to more effectively juggle everything that I have going on. There are 3 things that I've done that have helped significantly.
#1 -- Put my life on a schedule. This includes a daily chore chart. It may sound crazy but it ensures that my housework is done and it spreads it out over the week. The thought is that my house is always in a decent state and I'm not trying to cram everything into a single morning or afternoon. So far it's been working well, although I will admit that the chore chart has been partially ignored lately. Oops. One of the benefits is that my house is usually tidy enough that I'm not embarrassed to have people stop by unannounced.
#2 -- Signed up for a gym membership and have committed to going 3-4 times a week. I even went so far as to sign up for 12 weeks with a personal trainer. Although my results leave a lot to be desired; working out has helped to decrease my stress considerably. It's amazing how much better I feel after pounding out an hour on the treadmill. Part of the benefit too is getting some time to myself. I forgot how nice it is to focus entirely on me for 2 hours.
#3 -- I found a local Moms group. We try to schedule a playdate once a week for our kids. It's forces me to get out of the house with Katie one day a week to do something fun. Most of the time we just go to another mom's house, but sometimes we try to do something more fun. And it's been wonderful to meet some local moms with kids similar in age. These new friendships have helped to fill a void (somewhat) in my inadequate, local circle of friends.
Although all 3 things seem to be small, they have helped tremendously. There is still plenty that I want/need to work on but all in good time.
#1 -- Put my life on a schedule. This includes a daily chore chart. It may sound crazy but it ensures that my housework is done and it spreads it out over the week. The thought is that my house is always in a decent state and I'm not trying to cram everything into a single morning or afternoon. So far it's been working well, although I will admit that the chore chart has been partially ignored lately. Oops. One of the benefits is that my house is usually tidy enough that I'm not embarrassed to have people stop by unannounced.
#2 -- Signed up for a gym membership and have committed to going 3-4 times a week. I even went so far as to sign up for 12 weeks with a personal trainer. Although my results leave a lot to be desired; working out has helped to decrease my stress considerably. It's amazing how much better I feel after pounding out an hour on the treadmill. Part of the benefit too is getting some time to myself. I forgot how nice it is to focus entirely on me for 2 hours.
#3 -- I found a local Moms group. We try to schedule a playdate once a week for our kids. It's forces me to get out of the house with Katie one day a week to do something fun. Most of the time we just go to another mom's house, but sometimes we try to do something more fun. And it's been wonderful to meet some local moms with kids similar in age. These new friendships have helped to fill a void (somewhat) in my inadequate, local circle of friends.
Although all 3 things seem to be small, they have helped tremendously. There is still plenty that I want/need to work on but all in good time.
3 comments:
congrats to you!
Glad to hear the schedule is working for you & yes, those couple of hours to yourself can do wonders.
:)
Small... none of those things is a small accomplishment when juggling a kid and work and a life. I am proud of all that you are doing!
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