Blog #14 Strategies for balance

Multi-tasking is not one of my strong suits, so I have to be extremely organized in order to make life work. I know each day that I work from 8a.m. - 5p.m. so that is automatically on my daily schedule. The hours left in the day plus weekends are the only time I have for school, family and relaxation, therefore I have to plan them also. I started with the first day the syllabus showed up for each of my classes. I immediately put on the calendar when each assignment was due in each class so that I could make sure I never got behind. Procrastination is the enemy of a balanced life. I feel this semester was very successful for me because when I did have a little extra time I worked ahead in my classes which gave me time for a few extra things like spending a whole weekend with my sons who visited from Houston and I actually bought a new home and moved during this semester while still working full time. I am very lucky that my children are grown, so that gives me more time to devote to school, but I still have to add time for me. It is most important to eat healthy, exercise and get plenty of rest when juggling so many responsibilities. All of these things had to be scheduled also, like exercise is something that happens during lunch, when I can run to the gym for 45 minutes each day. As much as I live by my calendar though, the only way to keep from being super stressed is to remember that sometimes my life and my schedule don't work the way I planned, so I also plan to be flexible when needed.

Blog #13 Weakness Versus Strength

I think as women we often hide who we really are for who we think others want us to be. To be able to admit that we are flawed takes courage. To be able to admit that you were addicted to drugs or alcohol would take an extra measure of strength, because you are not just admitting to being less than perfect, but you are opening yourself up to people judging you in many areas of your life. The first thing I think of is that people would no longer trust you, because you would no longer be the person they thought you were.

Another reason it would take great strength to admit you were addicted to drugs or alcohol is that in admitting it, you would be watched closely as you try to deal with that addiction. You could no longer tell yourself, I'll do something about it next week, because your friends and family would be ready for you to fix it now.

Finally, I think it takes strength to admit to addiction is that one of the first steps to healing is to figure out why you became addicted. To have to look deep into yourself and find other ways to cope with things in your life is very scary. If you were able to deal with it before you became addicted, you would have. Now to deal with it plus deal with an addiction is unbelievably hard.

To me weakness is hiding the truth and hoping the drugs and / or alcohol will save you.