What to Make Time For

There is not enough time in the day to do all the things you need to do AND the things you want to do. However, it might be time to recategorize and reprioritize. When you are constantly striving for productivity, instead of focusing on living your best life, it will eventually result in burn out, stress, and a lack of fulfillment. There are certain things in life that you should make time for, even if it doesn’t seem important at the moment or produce instant results.

Treating Yourself Right

As a working mom, free time is a rare commodity. Caring for ourselves is typically the first thing to go when schedules get tight. However, your health and wellness is a crucial element that should not be compromised. It has an immense impact on the quality of life for yourself and your family, and when you start to feel negative effects, it may already be too late. Prevent health problems by forming healthy habits, such as drinking enough water and knowing what to do for dehydration. Eat foods that make your body feel healthy and energized. Make time to stay active, whether that involves joining a gym, practicing yoga in your living room, or taking frequent walks with your family. Also, remember to prioritize rest. You must be fully recharged in order to tackle every day at your full capacity. Enforce a no screen time every night for yourself to fight the temptation of mindlessly scrolling through social media or binging a TV show. Effective methods to quiet your mind and prepare for rest include practicing mindfulness, meditating, or journaling.

Cultivating Meaningful Relationships

When you get married and start a family, it becomes increasingly difficult to find time to form and maintain meaningful relationships. Staying in your own bubble is easier and less time consuming, but the benefits of having a strong support system far outweigh the effort required.

Friendships play a key role in increasing your sense of belonging and purpose, boosting happiness, reducing stress, improving self-confidence and self-worth, and help you cope with difficult situations, such as trauma, divorce, and death. The companionship that true friends offer can greatly impact your overall well-being.

In certain stages of life, such as parenthood, it can be more difficult to forge meaningful friendships. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and initiate conversations with old friends with whom you’ve lost touch, co-workers, or people who share similar interests. Extend and accept invitations to allow relationships to form and set aside time to demonstrate that these friendships are a priority.

Fuel Your Passion

Even though being a wife, mother, and scientist are integral parts of my identity, there are many more facets of my individuality. I also love to read, write, and cook. These are passions of mine that bring me joy and also give me a chance to express myself creatively. Whatever is it that makes you excited about life qualifies as a passion. It can be traveling, spending time in nature, photography, or gardening. The possibilities are endless!

If you have not yet figured out what your passions are, try writing down a list of things that you are good at. We often enjoy doing things in which we are naturally talented and work to our strengths. Think about what types of activities make you lose track of time and that you hate to stop doing. Reminisce on what fascinated you as a child and revisit those interests to determine if they still resonate with you. Make sure to try plenty of new things, even if you are skeptical. Approach every interest with an open mind. The journey to finding your passions can be an awesome adventure in and of itself. Take your time to discover what you love to do.