It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. I’ll never forget when I was having a breakdown shortly after starting my homeschool journey, because I was overwhelmed, and these were the words my coach told me; “It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You have the power of choice”. She explained that no matter what is going on, I’m always in choice and that didn’t mean that I had to give one thing up completely (the projects I was working on for my business) for another (homeschooling). It just meant that I needed to shift my priorities and really get serious about how I was going to be spending my days.
Even in the midst of my breakdown, she helped me get out of victim mode and into choice mode. Homeschooling became important to me. And my children are the reason I started my business to begin with. Just like I didn’t know how my husband and I were going to make it work when I left my corporate job in 2011, but we figured out a way, I knew I had to do the same when it came to juggling my new role as a homeschool mom, with business mom.
Once I made the choice that they were both equally important, I had to figure out where the breakdown was. I needed to figure out how to get from frazzled and frustrated to satisfied and fulfilled. One of the biggest changes I made was decided what I needed to take “off my plate” and it started with choir practice (I do miss my gospel choir family). This would free my time up twice a week (sometimes more depending on the season) to focus on juggling home life.
I then sat down with my coach and we came up with ways to schedule/structure my “mommy” time versus my “mompreneur” time. I also had to put some systems in place like a sending out a link to anyone who wanted to schedule an appointment with me. I then sat down with hubby to create a schedule for homeschool time, and mommy time. This schedule is ever-changing but it’s one simple thing that alleviated a lot of stress for me.
So now, anytime I’m feeling stressed out or overwhelmed, I take a few steps back and remember that I have the power of choice. It’s hard to grasp that we have the power of choice when it comes to being in a difficult place (whether you’re experiencing financial hardship, trying to figure out what your next step is, discouraged in your career, etc.), but once you decide where you want to be, you can figure out what baby steps you need to get there.
“The 3 C’s of Life: Choices, Chances, Changes. You must make the choice to take a chance or your life will never change.”
What steps do you take to move yourself out of overwhelm and stress?
11 Comments
Kim
January 26, 2015 at 1:34 PMThe thing that stand out to me most in the post is the fact that you a mentorr – one that is invested in you and in your success. I believe that was the first thing you did right in making your decision. I will love to read your thoughts on the importance of a coach or mentor and how it has impacted your life. I believe she is one of the reasons why you are as organizaed and successful as you are in this stage of life.
Kim would like you to check out…He Writes My Story – A Testimony
Christine St.Vil
January 27, 2015 at 10:54 AMHi Kim! Thanks so much for your kind words of encouragement! Yes, I tell people all the time that hiring a coach was one of the best investments I’ve ever made in business. I have a couple of mentors as well, and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have done half of what I’ve accomplished without their guidance and suppot. I’m beyond grateful because I feel like I shaved several years off of my learning curve by having access to people who are where I want to be.
Amber
January 26, 2015 at 1:45 PMYes, yes, yes! I tell women all the time that there is no such thing as balance – it’s all about priorities. I had a breakdown last summer and the previous summer all because of stress and overwhelm and I refuse to have a 3-peat this year! I’m focused on pacing myself and taking my time to get done everything I need to do. There is no race is what I tell myself everyday!
Amber would like you to check out…That Whole Thing about Knowing Your Worth
Christine St.Vil
January 27, 2015 at 10:56 AMAmber girl, yes!!! No more breakdowns! Ok, they may happen occasionally. BUT, now I know what to do when they happen and they no longer keep me paralized. We put sooooo much pressure on ourselves, and there is no “end date” to our dreams. When we stay consistent and continue to pursue them no matter what, we will get there 🙂
Pascha
January 26, 2015 at 5:16 PMLove this. I am equipped with numerous tools but I still struggle with stress…and depression…and anxiety. I try deep breathing exercises, meditation, prayer…sometimes a nap helps!
Christine St.Vil
January 27, 2015 at 4:06 PMHi Pascha, thanks so much for sharing. I will definitely keep you in my thoughts and prayer, stress and depression are not easy to deal with at times. Hopefully these tools work for you but if not, sometimes we need someone else/other professionals to help us navigate through it.
Siobhan (BeFree Project)
January 26, 2015 at 6:18 PMThis post was right on time. For a long time I thought I needed to have a perfect balance and I became stressed and overwhelmed because balance never happened. Now I focus on simply doing the best I can and make the best out of every day. Life is not about perfection, it’s about growth and as you mentioned we always have the power to choose.
Christine St.Vil
January 27, 2015 at 10:59 AMI really dislike the word “balance” and how people try to teach you that it can happen. I wrote a whole post about the difference between “balance” and “juggling”. We constantly have to juggle things to make our life work for us. You have the absolute right way of thought which is to focus on doing the best you can. I love what you said that lie is not about perfection, but growth! #RealTalk Thanks for sharing Siobhan 🙂
Crystal
January 26, 2015 at 9:07 PMOne of the steps that I take to get rid of stress is by praying and chatting with my mentor. My mentor is extremely helpful.
Crystal would like you to check out…#MindRightMonday: Week 3
Christine St.Vil
January 27, 2015 at 4:07 PMThat’s great Crystal! Having a great mentor can really make a world of difference. Thanks for sharing!
Moms 'N Charge Make The Most Of The Time You Have - Moms 'N Charge
May 20, 2016 at 1:11 AM[…] Also Related: Motivational Monday: You Have the Power of Choice […]