Over the last couple years, our news feeds have been filled with stories about burnout, work life balance, wellness and self-care. A lot of us have had to re-evaluate our lives and recalibrate what a good work-life balance means to us, largely because the status quo has been significantly challenged.
I was no different.
Cue June 2021, I had just wrapped up what was a rather intense 14 months long stint at a client. I was burnt out, questioning what it was I wanted to do in life and really just having a quarter-life crisis, triggered by the stress of the pandemic.
Over the next few months, I went on a journey to find that one magic formula, to understand what that balance really meant for me and how I could achieve it. I searched high and low to figure out once and for all how I balance ~life and work~. What was this magical concept others talked about that I’d lost sight of over the period of the pandemic?
Turns out, it isn’t a magic formula. Not one single method, cure or number. What I discovered in this journey to learn about myself was that it was going to be a constantly evolving need that I would have to reassess and reconfigure every so often. My self-care needs on a given day change based on a lot of factors like —
- how much I slept last night
- what my workload has been over the last few days/weeks
- if I skipped breakfast
- when I last worked out
- if I had an argument with someone the previous day
(this is in not an exhaustive list in any way)
If different factors challenged my wellbeing and balance each day, why was I trying to take care of myself in the same way each day? I learned that it isn’t about attending a fitness class every day (although I do that most days), or about my elaborate seven step skincare routine every night.
Instead, it’s about constantly learning about ourselves, evaluating what our wellbeing looks like on a given day and what our minds and bodies need to remain sane and thrive (or survive?).
I am not claiming in any way to have cured burnout — it took me months to work through it and this learning was one of the many things that helped.
So today, I encourage you to listen in ask yourself these two questions:
- How do I feel today?
- What can I do for myself today?
If you’re anything like me, your answers will change each day. And that’s okay.
Back to the pilates studio — yes, you guessed it. It’s what I did for myself today (and tend to on most days — if you know me, you know I’m obsessed!).
