Reclaiming my work/life balance

Sometimes achieving a healthy work/life balance seems impossible when there are SO many things that just "have to be done." But lately I've been taking a step back and asking myself, "does that particular thing really need done or have I imposed this task or responsibility on myself? And if it does in fact need to be done, does it need done right this minute? Probably not.

Between planning a wedding, work, music gigs, taking care of the pugs, maintaining a household, trying to spend some legit time with my fiancé, trying to have some semblance of a social life, keeping up with friends/family back home, and desperately trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle.......it can get a little overwhelming.

All of those things are important, but some are certainly more important than others. Where I lose sight of what’s most important is when I try to make everyone happy, which is dumb, because that’s impossible (and I know that). Regardless, I still try to do it anyway. And the older I get the more I realize that not everyone that I try to make happy cares about my happiness, so why do I stress myself out? The really sneaky ones are the people who disguise their own agenda as caring for your happiness -- trying to tell you how you feel, what you want, and what you should do. I don’t know about you, but I don’t need that in my life – that’s absolute B.S. Don’t try to bring people down to your level – we’re supposed to lift each other up, not drag people down just because you want company in your misery. Get out of here with your bad juju – ain’t nobody want that.

On top of all of that, we are constantly connected to our stressors through those magic little boxes – smart phones. Don’t get me wrong, I love my smart phone, but sometimes I truly hate how accessible it makes me. When I go on walks with the pugs I purposefully leave my phone at home just to catch a break. Plus, I generally am wearing clothing without pockets anyway, and pugs (or at least my pugs) cannot be trusted. One glance at a phone and Mozzie may decide it’s time to cross the street, or Phoebe may try to eat an unsuspecting bicyclist. Those pugs are shady.......Our walks are generally 30-45 minutes, and the reality is that 99.9% of the time that call, text, or email is not that important, or it can certainly wait. I think I'm going to start leaving my phone in the other room sometimes too, because every time I hear a "bing" (or whatever noise my phone makes) there's a part of me that automatically stresses. 

I have definitely hit a wall lately, which has made me re-evaluate my priorities and where/what my time is spent on. All I really want to do is spend time with the people (and pugs) I care about, play music, focus on my healthy goals, try new recipes, enjoy the island, and get ready for the day when I get to  marry the love of my life. As long as I can pay the bills and do those things, I'm good.

So if you ever reach out to me, be it a phone call, text, email, Facebook message, whatever..............and I don't get back to you right away, don't take it personally. Sometimes I need a break, and ultimately I like living my life more than I like being attached to my phone. I've decided to reclaim my work life balance. After all, it is a new year -- I think it's time. Onward!