What DOES it mean to be a working woman today?
If I had been asked that question a few years ago, I may have answered with the following: “A working woman is someone who gets up early, journals, exercises, showers, dresses, puts on makeup, completes a hairstyle in 5 minutes while eating breakfast and drinking coffee, commutes to work, greets everyone with a smile, meets all goals/deadlines/answers emails/attends meetings, commutes back home, makes dinner, attends whatever evening event that is on the agenda, answers personal emails, watches T.V., browses social media or reads articles online, says nightly prayers/meditates, goes to bed. The weekend for that same working woman? She creates art, keeps up with a website, attends meetings and appointments, falls asleep on the couch in between the meetings and appointments, visits family and friends, cleans, does laundry, exercises, cooks, blah, blah, blah…
That scenario was my life, with 4 pets and a husband, but sans children. Add kids into that scenario, and I can only imagine how much busier it would look.
I no longer believe that scenario has to be a working woman’s everyday routine. Women think they can do it all BUT how long can women keep up that routine before burning out?
January 2018 was a pivotal time in my life when I simply burned-out. I was exhausted and tired of that super busy, “trying to keep up with everything” kind of life. I kept telling myself “Other women have giant careers with raising families on top of it all. Why can’t I do it too?” Then, I started studying and observing all the “other women”. I started listening to their stories, hearing frustration after frustration. The more I listened, the more I realized that those “other women” were either already past being burned-out, or getting to that point. It made me reflect more upon my life and I realized I was trying to do too much and needed help.
I despised asking for help, but I knew I had to. I sat down with my husband and told him I needed a break. He agreed. We both knew this was on the horizon for a while, so we had been cutting back on “extras” for a while in order to save money. I put in notice at work and quit. During my time off, I’ve been exploring the talents I used to invest in only on the weekends. I started writing and creating art full time and I must say, I’ve never been happier.
My advice to other women that may describe their life like mine (or even busier): Being a working woman today simply means using your God-given gifts and talents to do good things for the world. It doesn’t mean being the busiest person on earth. (Because guess what? No one gets a prize for that!). If you are that burned-out working woman, seek help like I did, create a plan and execute it. Your soul (and friends and family) will thank you.
Need a little bit more “woman power” motivation? I wrote a separate piece in dedication to all the hard working women in the world. Read it by clicking here.