Have you ever glanced at another moms social media and thought “How do they do it ALL??”  I have! I tell myself “if they can, so can I!” It’s the comparison game and we are all guilty of it, me included. Lately, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed with ALL the things I want to accomplish and the lack of time I have to do them. As a fitness trainer, first time mom, and blogger my goal is to be REAL with you. In this post, I share my current and very honest thoughts on balancing mom and business life. It’s not easy!

I became a mom in October 2017 and it’s hands down the BEST adventure of life so far. I had no idea how much I could love one tiny human until I held my son in my arms for the first time. It’s the most amazing gift I could ask for and everyday I am grateful for our little family. He is my first priority and my motivation to be a better person everyday. (photo cred – Melissa Gritter Photo)

Combining my love for being a mom and my love for career achievement has been a difficult journey. Life completely changed when I became a mom. An extra cup of coffee to push through didn’t cut it anymore and I’m realizing the importance of self-care. I know what you are thinking..self-care, what the heck is that right?? I still don’t know exactly how to practice self-care and how to ASK for help when I need it but it’s time I start learning. Recently, I have felt the stress, overwhelm, and exhaustion emotionally and physically. I’ve had chronic low back pain, unintentional weight loss, anxiety attacks, and some abnormal test results (all fine now!). It’s been a major wake up call. The worst part is with my back pain and lack of energy, I couldn’t keep up with my workouts. When I could, they were super rushed. My business is about sweating the stress and I couldn’t even do that!

Even though I knew I was running myself into the ground, I didn’t do much to stop it. I take care of my son full-time (which I feel VERY lucky to do) and run a business that I love, two very time consuming tasks. I hit the ground running everyday (literally with training sessions and running after my son!) and I don’t feel like I can breathe until the bedtime routine is done. In the morning, I have grand plans to do all these things after my son goes to bed. When the time comes, I’m so mentally drained from the day and nothing gets done. My morning coffee makes me feel like Superwoman and the rest of the day reminds me that I can only do so much. Anyone else know this feeling? 

“Life completely changed when I became a mom. An extra cup of coffee to push through didn’t cut it anymore and I’m realizing the importance of self-care. “

It’s easy to forget we are all moms just trying to survive the day. Don’t be mistaken by the picture perfect online “highlight reels” we see all day long.  No one is perfect. We all can’t remember where we left our coffee cup, what we had for breakfast (Did I even eat?), what day it is, and if we remembered to put on clean underwear. Am I right?

Let me be clear, my intention for this post is NOT to complain about how hard being a mom is. It’s hands down the best role I’ve had in life and I love my son more than anything. Rather, my intention is to say that it’s OK to feel overwhelmed and it’s OK not to do it all. It’s also OK to admit you feel this way. From my conversations with other moms, it seems we all feel overwhelmed but we may not want to say it out loud. So I’m putting it out there for others who need to hear it. #letsbereal

We are in this together and on days when you feel like you are losing your mind, know that I’m right there with you. The juggling act of being a mom, a wife, having a career, taking care of a home, and trying to take care of yourself isn’t easy. Maybe there is no true “balance” but instead an understanding that you are only one person and all you can do is your best. Let’s not let the comparison game or our own judgmental thoughts get in the way of our happiness. Let’s focus on enjoying the precious everyday moments with our family, it goes way too fast.

As I try to incorporate more self-care practices, I’d LOVE to know some self-care practices you do everyday. Please share them in the comments!