The Never Ending Challange of Finding Balance.

I believe that everyone struggles to create balance in their lives every day. Even those that seem to have mastered this, still work hard on a daily basis to keep the scales even.

 I recently gave birth to my daughter,  and have fallen in love with her. I have spent the past two months catering to all of her needs and finding myself in the cycle of eat, slept, change a diaper, and do it again. I am still amazed at how busy a person can stay doing  mainly those three things. My days blend and I am more than a little tired. As the days and weeks seem to fly by, I realize that I am quickly approaching my return to seeing clients. I am struck by the realization that I will have to leave my daughter, while I resume various aspects of my life. Up until now I have been able to do things for myself and have her with me at the same time (she tends to nap while I am at the gym and running errands). She has even accompanied me to a massage.

Part of me is tempted to give up  everything  I enjoyed before she was born just to stay with her 24-7, but I know myself. I know that I need balance in my life and that this consists of more than just my daughter. I need to nurture my friendships and relationships. I need to get back to get back to my career that I love. Having worked with children and families for over 9 years, I also know that I have to take care of myself in order to be the best caretaker I can be for her. The reality is that if I am not happy, it is going to be hard for my daughter to be happy. I need to be the best me I can be for her.
This balance is different for everyone. I have friends who stay at home full time with their children and I have friends that work full time. Some of them need more "me time", some less. It is important to find what works best for you.  Knowing what works best doesn't mean that you will magically have a balanced life. It is work to keep those scales even, and having a great support system makes it so much easier. So reach out for support if you need it, and remember that you need to nurture yourself to be able to nurture others.