As a business woman, a mother, a partner and a friend, you have a lot on your plate and you tend to believe that you are super woman. Working in a male dominated industry and learning to self-promote felt so empowering. I was 100% ready to prove that I was the woman who could have it all: be a high-powered career woman and a great mother.
But today, I have a different view on that. When Covid-19 hit, it was as if all the factors already holding me back were supercharged. Working from home came with so many challenges, projects were cancelled, revenue was greatly affected and trying to stay afloat at work. “I was extremely unmotivated because I felt like I was spending all hours of the day trying not to fall off an accelerating treadmill,”. “But at the same time, I felt like I was being trusted less and less to be able to do a good job. I could feel my career slipping through my fingers and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.”
In early 2020, I started loosing weight, lost interest in food and socializing. I spent 90% of my time working with zero social life.
My relationship with my partner was in ICU and I seemed not to be good enough. This affected my self-esteem to the core and I steadily but surely fell into depression. I had never struggled with my mental health before. But now, I’m just trying to get through each week while staying sane. That journey is not easy.
But I had work to do, I had to remove elements that affected my health, my relationship was the 1st to go. I cancelled projects that took a lot from me and i started a diary of how i felt.
Unfortunately the effects of not eating well and stress took a toll on my body in 2021. I suddenly had asthma, I weighed 51kg from 61 kg. Went to see the Dr and he said I’m anemic and i need to be on a high iron diet and change my lifestyle.
So now, I’m more focused on my health. My mental health is so important that I even had to start assigning some work to my business partner so that I can heal. I didn’t like who I was seeing in the mirror. I had to get my life back and find tools that will help me. I watched Iyanla Vanzant shows for tips, I meditated daily and I found my Chi.
Statistics show that the imbalance in society that the pandemic has both highlighted and exacerbated. For multiple reasons, women, particularly mothers, are still more likely than men to manage a more complex set of responsibilities on a daily basis. This is the biggest challenge we face as women.
The mental strain of mastering this balancing act has been apparent for decades, Covid-19 has cast a particularly harsh light on the problem. Statistics also shows that stress and burnout are affecting more women than men, and particularly more working mothers than working fathers. This could have multiple impacts for the post-pandemic world of work
We need to know our limits because the repair work is not overnight. I have always been a healthy girl and I need to find new ways of training to get my health and fitness back.
This is my new journey and since I started my outlook on life, business and love have gone through a 360 change.