“The place where I work is supposed to be a place that heals people, and it violates the people who work there.” – Rosie
The quest to get healthier and live a healthier lifestyle is very popular right now. I have been on this quest ever since I got pregnant. Having someone else to take care of besides yourself definitely changes your perspective on life. I have succeeded and failed in all different aspects, but in general I am living a healthier life, as hard as that is. Part of the problem for a lot of people is that their work environment is not conducive and sometimes detrimental to their attempts at a healthier life. Self-control and a strong will are not always one of our strong suits. But I disagree with this passage in that some people will have to make a choice between pursuing our jobs or a healthy lifestyle. Our lives are our own doing. We make the choices that matter. The only difficulty is if our workplace has undue stress. Then you have two options: find a new workplace or find a way to deal and cope with the stress.
Stress, now that is something I am very familiar with. The first step to dealing with stress is finding your support system. Most of the time my support system is my family, but we have come on to hard times, and everyone has considerable amounts of stress of their own. We provide support for each other, but when everyone’s stress levels are so high, it is hard to find comfort and aid. Where do I turn to then? That’s a hard question to answer. Sometimes, I arrange an afternoon or evening with the girls from school. With everyone’s busy schedules that can take months thought. Sometimes, I just sit down with a glass of whiskey. Doesn’t make me an alcoholic, doesn’t happen that often, but its time I take for myself. One way I used to really cope with my stress was exercise. Before schedules changed over the summer, every morning my sister would watch my daughter and I would go for a 4 mile walk. That hour was the most relaxing time of my day. I didn’t listen to music, I didn’t think about anything in particular, I just walked and listened to nature. I sincerely miss that. I am happy my sister got a new job she is much happier at, very happy for her don’t get me wrong. Now I am usually the only one home all day with my 2 year old, everyone’s dogs (5 total), the telephone ringing constantly, unending money troubles, dissertation work, house cleaning, making breakfast, lunch and dinner; it gets pretty stressful and exhausting. I rarely have time for myself, much less a shower, or time to exercise. I told myself, well I’ll just go to the gym after dinner. So far, that’s not working out so well. Half the time I’m so tired by the time dinner is on the table, I struggle to eat much less go to the gym. So now what do I do? When I can I fit in a kettlebell workout. When I can I do some Yoga. I love yoga, but it’s definitely a challenge doing yoga with a 2 year old on your back. I just try do find time for little things that will help me relax. Everyone has to find their support group, whether its people, activities or a combination of the two. I can’t tell you what to do, that’s something you have to figure out for your self. I haven’t completely figured it out yet. But the biggest thing you have to realize, and it took me a long time, is that you are not alone. You are never alone.
archaeomommy 