Three Ways to Find Balance Today

I'm one month shy of surviving the first year of motherhood. Surviving isn't the word I should pick. I should be writing about all the beautiful blessing of motherhood, but honestly running the NYC marathon was easier than the constant whirlwind of meeting all the needs of a family, nevermind me. But this isn't going to be a rant. I want to highlight 3 ways that I have found balance over the last year.

Tip #1: Breathe 

This works when driving, in a fight, stuck in a long line, or dealing with the ruckus of family life. Don't hold the tension inside and let it build. Seriously, several deep breaths can take all the chaos and mayhem and bring it back down to plant earth. Take a breath. Try it now. Doesn't that feel better.

Tip #3: Do You

Don't ask for you time. Take it. The saying goes it's always easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission. That makes me laugh, but to stay sane you need time to have fun, read, journal, beat a drum. Do it. Do you.

Tip #3: Get Healthy

This is truly the magic way to find balance-get in shape! Exercise, eat natural & well, and volia! Life shifts into the fun zone, but I found it really hard to start the engine and get revving back to a healthy lifestyle. I had to wait after giving birth for my body to give me the cues on when it was going to be good to slowly gain my strength back. For me, as a breatfeeding mom, I wasn't really ready to jump back in until the ninth month. I tried before that. I even got myself set-up to do P90X in January, at six months, but my body said back off, give it a little more time, and things will get better. At the moment, I force my healthy lifestyle on the family. I wake up, do yoga and a bit of weights. In the afternoon, I grab the jogging stroller and go for a walk or run, depending on the heat and humidity. In the evenings, I skip over-indulging on foods. My favorite go to book at the moment is Jackie Warner's book, titled This is Why You're Fat.

It is really realistic and achieveable. Eat clean for five days. That was my first challenge. I did it and found that by the weekend I didn't feel like drinking loads of coffee or eating too much sugar. I felt better being in control. I felt better being in balance.


{images via Pinterest, Jennifer Causey, and inspired by Creature Comforts Blog}