I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I am fed up with feeling exhausted and having a pity party because:
- I don’t have time
- I can’t find a sitter
- I have kids with me
- I have a to-do list
- I have chronic pain
- I have a full-time job
The reality is that I have to make the time, I have to accommodate having kids with me, accepting that not all things need to get done at the same time, off and on nagging pain will always be a part of my life, work will be there and work can wait. I have to create the opportunities that I’ve been wanting to have fall in my lap.
This has all come to a head this week as my gym’s kids club keeps shutting down for staffing issues. I fell into a bit of a woe is me pit because as a working mom, it isn’t fair. I have an amazing husband who tells me to go to the gym anyway and he’ll watch the kids, but as I already take time away from my kids and husband during the work week, I feel too guilty taking more time for the gym. So, I must take my own advice (see Overcoming Obstacles as A Working Parent) and make it happen. After my pity party cleared out, I was able to see clearly that I do have options available to me:
- My office complex has a very mediocre gym, on-site. Let’s face it, I’m not a body builder and this will be sufficient!
- It’s spring and I can resume walking around the block, bicycling, and playing outdoors with my kids for more physical activity.
- Instead of paying $90 as a copay to every doctor I see, I can spend $90 on supplements one per month to optimize how my body is working.
- I can eat healthier…that one doesn’t cost anything.
- I can resume daily journaling to improve my clarity and mental health.
- I can resume reading to improve my self-image.
I could keep adding to my list, but the reality is: I have choices. I can take control of this ship and steer it in the direction I’d like to go and you can too! Find an accountability buddy (I have different friends and co-workers that I write with, read with (book discussions after we read books on our own), apps that prompt healthy habits, etc…and before long, I know that the habits will be self-reinforcing because the payoff will be worth the effort.
