Make Time for Yourself

Is a really possible for working moms to find balance when we have so many responsibilities? I have asked myself this for at least 14 of the 15 years I have been a mother.

The last few years I have struggled to find time for myself. This is not easy to do when most of my time is taken up by chores, work, family (though I love spending time with my family), and a hundred other things I have to do in a day. There were (and still are) many times I just become paralyzed because I am overwhelmed by responsibilities.

Before last year, I would say I did not truly understand the importance of balance. Too much work caused stress in my home. My kids were stressed, my house was a mess, my husband felt neglected, and I was bitter because I felt like I had no time for myself or my family. So I ended up going to the other extreme and cleaning like crazy; then, I'd have my house and home all in order, but the bills would pile up because I wasn't working and we didn't have money. And I still didn't have time for myself.

In 2007, I made it a goal to find balance. I didn't know exactly how I was going to find it, but I didn't want to stop until I did. What I ended up finding was that if I would just give myself time to reflect on my life and blessings, everything else seemed to fall into a reasonably balanced state.

I have a passion for horses. I have since I was a young girl -- I think my mother may have passed down the "horse gene" to me. God has blessed me with two wonderful horses that I get to watch outside my window every day. The years I spent living an "off balance" life offered little time for my horse passion.

During my year of finding balance, I decided to try and spend more time with my horses. It became my time for myself, and what a world of difference it made in my life! I discovered that I could see my responsibilities more as blessing than ever before because I could see myself as a person first.

I am an individual. I have passions, likes, dislikes, wants, and needs. The privilege of being a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend, and a women of faith (as well as the many other titles I carry) can only truly seen as a privilege through the eyes of a person who can see themselves as an individual.

If my story sounds at all familiar to you, I encourage you to find time for yourself so, too, you can better reflect on your blessings in life.