03/04/2020
I have been working from home for the last 7 years - way before Covid-19 made it cool.
With two small children, this has been a challenge made easier by implementing all the good advice you have read online lately: set a routine, make sure you get dressed (not from "night" pjs to "day" pjs), don't work from your bed, etc., etc. etc.
So, I thought I had this waxed.
Without multiple school runs and external meetings, I would have all this extra time! I already had a set work schedule, all the digital support tools I could ask for, and a great work from home set up. Everything was poised for continued success at getting things done, the way I always did.
But things never work out like they are "supposed" to.
All the small things that have been added to the mix during the pandemic have completely thrown me and, deep into lockdown, I have felt quite overwhelmed. I now have a husband working from "my" study. I have two tiny humans who think that because I am home with them, I should be playing and not working. My eldest has schoolwork to complete, and I find that hours disappear while teaching her. There are now three humans who expect three meals a day (can you imagine!). Any "me" time that I had before has disappeared - and is now devoted to endless laundry, washing dishes (where on earth do they all come from?!), cleaning the house, and learning how to iron (apparently my husband takes "dress up" literally, and wears smart shirts every day). Meetings with clients have doubled up, and I spend more time with them now than I ever did before.
I know that I don't need to do these things (other than the work things because, you know, there's a recession and stuff). My hubby can wear rumpled shirts, my kids are great at feeding themselves, and if we wear the same clothes two days in a row, who cares?
But I do care.
I feel that I should be good at this. Good at being a mom, wife, businesswoman: an expert at juggling everything exceptionally well.
It turns out, the ball I dropped this week was my own. I have spent a lifetime being kind to others, but I somehow forgot that my own mental health and happiness is also a priority. So this morning, I woke up early and tried out the breathing exercises on my FitBit as the sun rose outside. I had a huge cup of coffee and finally listened to some music for the first time in a very long time. And I already feel like today will be a better day.
Be kind to yourself. If you haven't "got this" today, try again tomorrow. We will get through this.
