In one year’s time I became a wife, mom and new business owner. To say my time and sanity are stretched thin is an understatement. Everyone says to ‘find a hobby’ to relax myself but I just don’t have time. TO make matters worse, mom guilt has officially set in with my return to work this last month. I know I’m not the first mom to go through these sorts of changes all at once. I always saw myself as the woman who could have and manage it all. Little did I know it’s an art form. HELP!! What’s the trick to balancing motherhood, career and a successful marriage?
Dear Mrs. Overwhelmed,Â
Whew, I lost 10 pounds just thinking about all the running around you do on a daily basis. Not only are you physically giving all you’ve got to your new life, you are mentally and emotionally giving it all. Dare I ask you these questions……How are you refueling yourself? How are you taking care of you? Let me guess, you are now thinking about “YOUâ€. This is exactly the answer to your question.
Balancing everything perfectly is a myth. Some things will go unattended to perfection when so many “irons are in the fireâ€. The most precious thing that goes unattended is “YOUâ€. I sense that you have the organizational skills to handle your daily task, but you are feeling stressed. I could easily give you the typical advice like delegate, learn to say no, or even create a to-do list, but I believe the real problem lies within. You should take at least 15-30 minutes a day to care for yourself. When you take that moment self-fully just for you to refuel, you will find that there’s less room for guilt, worry, and anxiety. In those refueling moments you will open your mind and spirit up to get direction from God on ways to manage every area of your life. Those self-full moments will restore life to your inner core and aid you in connecting to your internal compass that will guide your daily schedule. I know you’re asking yourself, but “where am I going to get 15-30 minutes?†The answer is FIND IT – same time every day. Think of it as your daily BOSS medication. In these self-full minutes sit still, meditate, pray, ask God questions and wait for the answers, breathe deeply, and end those self-full moments with sheer gratitude.
When your inner core is properly cared for, you will find joy in your journey and the calm in your chaos.
-Dionne Smith~MotivateMeDee
Dionne Smith is a native of Philadelphia, PA. Dionne Smith attended Delaware State University and majored in Psychology where she earned her Bachelor of Science undergraduate degree. She furthered her studies at Wilmington College where she received her Masters of Science degree in Community Counseling and was inducted into the Chi Sigma Iota Honors Society.Â
As a Licensed Professional Counselor, with a sincere passion for mending the brokenhearted and bringing healing to the trouble minded,Dionne Smith has provided counseling services, both individual and group settings pertaining to: Family, Individual, Children & Adolescents, Grief, Spiritual, and Substance Abuse. Dionne served as a co-facilitator of a weekly women’s codependency and life skills group. In 2010 she was appointed Vice President of W.O.E. (Women of Excellence), a non-profit agency which served domestic violence victims. She continued to be an agent of change serving the mental health population in the communities of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and later on in Louisiana. In 2017, she launched two businesses, Made Whole Counseling, LLC and “Motivatemedee” which focuses on empowering women, motivational mentorship and providing therapeutic treatment.
Dionne Smith is a dedicated wife to Bishop Michael Smith and she is the extremely proud mother of one daughter Victoria (The Diva-College Student) and one son, (The Rambunctious-Drummer) 4yr old Michael II.Â
