Its Okay to Take A Break.

Being a mom isn't easy. I don't think it is whether you're a stay at home mom or a working mom, I've tried both and they both have challenges even with full time help.

It's physically and emotionally exhausting and there are days when I alternate between feeling like I'm losing my sanity and wallowing in guilt. Guilt for being short tempered, guilt for letting the house get messy, guilt for not pumping enough milk, guilt for not making more of an effort to stay connected with my friends, guilt for gaining weight or not painting my face, or not using hair conditioner-- oh the list goes on and on and on.

It all comes down to not having enough time. Say what you will about time management, and I will tell you this: there are a finite number of hours in a day and there is only so much multi-tasking and hacks you can do to get the most out of them.

1.5 hours to get ready for work, eat, pump milk
1.5 hours travel time to work
10.5 hours of work
1.5 hours travel time to get home
3.0 hours to eat / make dinner, watch a little tv and pump more milk, play with the kids, bathe
6.0 hours to sleep

Tadaaaaah!!! 24 hours of a typical weekday. Add to that a compulsion to do your job well (=overtime), a side hustle, and a mild case of being a neat freak and you're nuts.

Its taken me some time to finally convince myself that it really is okay to take a break Its okay to say no to some things like after work socials. Its okay to hide away in a quiet spot for lunch to just listen to silence. Its okay that the most literature I've read lately is Spot.ph on restaurants and destinations I will probably not have the time to go to or top 10 lists on Brightside. Its okay to get that haircut / get your nails done / get waxed / buy that overpriced cup of coffee that's loaded with calories.

You can't pour from an empty cup. Like the wise (and cute) quotes on Pinterest say: Take care of yourself first.

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