“This time last year everything was so different.”
A thought that may have crossed the minds of many of us amid Coronavirus pandemic. The times when our kids could have enjoyed going to play school without fear, the times when we were surrounded by our support system of maids and cooks, the times when it was easy to find peace in the fast-running life.
Now in such changing times, many individuals are finding themselves under extreme stress. While everyone is struggling, moms are the worst hit. Because we, moms, have to face added stressors: We need to remain the chief operating officers of our households, even when we have full-time jobs.
Like many moms, I also felt the brunt of changes that lock-down brought into my life.
Most of the time, it feels like I have too many roles to play at the same time: mom, teacher, professional, homemaker, and some days even more.
From attending my toddler’s online classes to religiously completing the pre-work for each class to keeping my energetic angel engaged the entire day with new activities, I feel exhausted as I do all this along with my work calls, meetings, and deadlines. Add to it the domestic chores that need to be completed alongside.
Unlike many, I’m blessed with the supportive husband, parents, and in-laws. Still performing all these roles with the intense desire to be perfect led to unnecessary stress – which pushed me a cinch closer to burning out every day.
While I have been performing all these duties with utter dedication, I didn’t realize that I have been sacrificing my happiness and peace of mind for the things that hardly matter. My burn out was not only affecting me but also people around me.
And, it is then that I decided to work on myself.
I decided to identify my habits that were pushing me towards burnout and restricting me from leading a happy and peaceful life. In my hope to emerge stronger and peaceful, I have been working hard to change some of the traditional patterns that are ingrained in our minds since we are born.
As I am shifting gears to take charge of my mental peace and happiness, I am here to share what changes I am adopting in my life with a hope that it may help you too:
- As I switch gears from “Being Perfect” to “Perfectly Imperfect” – be it about being a wife, mother, daughter, or professional, I promise to love myself to be not so perfect.
- As I switch gears from “Doing It All By Myself ” to “Delegating the Most”, I promise myself not to feel guilty. And, this is leaving me much more peaceful and relaxed.
- As I switch gears from “Changing Others” to “Inner Transformation” (thanks to my spiritual practice of Buddhism), I feel like a winner already.
- As I switch gears from “Expecting” to “Accepting”, With no expectations from the world around me, it makes me feel light as a feather.
- As I switch gears from “Thinking about Past/Future” to “Being in My Present”, I am not only cherishing and celebrating but also living each day.
With deeply ingrained behaviors, these changes did not happen overnight. It did take me a few months of thinking and retrospection. But I realized these particular changes are very important for every woman. It is important to build a healthy and happy life.
While many women struggle with mental issues, stress, depression, and trauma, it is very important that we start focusing on small habits that bring happiness to our lives.
A humble request to every Woman, struggling with stress during the lockdown:
Though my learning process to find inner peace is still on, I have realized the importance of being a strong and peaceful person. I don’t want stress to overpower my happiness.
Realizing the importance of being at peace to live life at my full potential, I would urge every woman to prioritize her own mental peace over anything else in life. In the midst of so much negativity, the best and much-needed gift that you can give to your own soul is PEACE.
