Balancing Work and Life

Let's face it, we are busy people. Not only are the adults busy but the children are busy too. We all know that having a healthy work / life balance is important to the overall health of our bodies. 

What happens when we fail to give enough attention to ourselves? For a while it may not register. But after a few weeks your body starts to give you signs and if we are too busy to notice, it goes unchecked. The first signs are soft / almost unnoticeable: 

• Our eating habits change - instead of sitting for meals and taking it in slowly, you rush through the meal, sometimes eating on the run - in the car, standing or walking, even while still working, or worse you begin skipping meals altogether. 
• It becomes a challenge to slow down - sometimes while attempting to rest, your mind and body wants to keep going. Signs include sleep patterns change, you go to sleep later, have trouble getting to sleep, your mind is racing and still processing while trying to rest. Your body's energy is off. Even when sitting or lying down you can feel your body still moving / pulsing: its tense. 
• We forget to have fun - we all have different ideas of what fun is. Maybe it is hanging out with friends, getting active outside, playing board games with friends and family, shopping, going for walks or a jog: whatever it is we start reducing the time we spend doing these things and use that time to "get important tasks done".
• You start to get annoyed at simple things. You become less forgiving, road rage, impatience with others, complaining a lot, we get more restless.
• You need caffeine, or other stimulants, to keep you going or to get through the day.

Over time, our bodies tend to get tired quicker, performance starts to decline. physical signs become more apparent: headache, stomachache, restlessness, easily agitated, poor eating habits, digestion starts to slow down, and more. These habits can take a toll on our physical and mental health. 

So, the question becomes, how do we start to turn this around? What are the steps to take to fix this problem?

1. Acknowledgement is the first step. Once we can see that we are in this pattern, we can start making changes. 
2. Breathe! Breathe again! Factor in time for self-care: Especially opportunities that will help you relax, recenter, gather yourself, and get back to some good restful sleep. Sip tea, drink water, eat well rounded meals - while sitting, and take time for the fun stuff. 
3. Get organized: pay attention to the amount of work / projects you have going on at the same time and begin to schedule the work. Be realistic! Delegate if you can. And definitely do not accept any new work. 
4. Develop a system to stay on track and follow it. 
5. Pay attention to the children, they mimic what they see. 
6. Smile, laugh, enjoy the moments. 

Jayida Che Tea Recommendations: 

• Teas to help us slow down: Calming, Hakuna Matata, Pure Peace, You had me at Rose, Snooze Button
• Anti Fatigue / Energizing teas: Energy Adjustment, any of the black tea and green tea blends, Matcha
• Stress Relieving: Calming, Hakuna Matata, Pure Peace
• Cleansing and Balancing: Moringa Moringa, Teatox (detox tea), Head Ease
• Recommendations for Children: Snooze Button, Summer Rose, Minty Mix