Finding the Key to a Work-Life Balance
June 02, 2019
Parenthood is so demanding and when we also have work pressures and our personal lives to attend to, we can quickly start to feel overwhelmed. Aromachologist and entrepreneur Joëlle shares the key things that have helped her on the quest to find more balance in her life.By Joëlle SmaniottoAs a first-time mom and entrepreneur, I sometimes feel under the water, overwhelmed, and so freaking busy. And that is before I even turn my laptop on, or open my Aromatherapy cabinet, be it at dusk or dawn.It is beyond obvious to say that my life changed the day I became a parent. Alongside my career which I have decided to pursue, comes a heavy load of new mommy tasks, and I am sure many of you can relate: that new to-do-list never ends!Yes, women are known to be multi-taskers, but at what cost do we want to tick all of those boxes? Is it even possible to be a supermom, a superwife, a superfriend, and a superwoman? How can we manage it all?Fearing mommy blues and a “little” burnout episode, not so long ago, I realized that in order to be happy, I would NOT and should not do it all. It is all about the “F”!
This concept revolutionized my world! Inspired by a famous book I started to read (needless to say I haven’t finished it yet). In life, there are only so many f*cks you can give. So excuse my French, but the busier you are, the fewer fs you can give to what doesn’t rank on top of your priority list. So, be picky! Be picky about the ‘drama’ you want to be part of, or even have an opinion about, be picky about the social occasions or business-related events you absolutely need to attend or that new venue you must check out. It is not rude but only human to feel there are only so many people, places and causes that you give a real f about. And once that realization hit me, it did clear some space out of mind and my schedule, and took some weight off my chest.Being present, fully
I’m not sure if you practice mindfulness but it is life changing too. Once you have established the fs you want to give, the next step is to fully enjoy these moments. If you will, do the exact opposite of multitasking. For me? No more breastfeeding or playing and sending work emails. When we play, I play. When I work, yes I’d keep an eye on the baby monitor, but only this. This allows me to be more productive, and also feel great about the moments I spend with my son.So by mindfulness, I mean pay attention to the present moment and enjoy every minute with your kids. Even if your work schedule doesn’t allow you many hours a day, sometimes it is not how much time but the quality of that time.Acceptance and making choices
My keyword for a balanced life as a working parent is acceptance. Accepting that you can’t attend that late team meeting AND be home on time to give your baby a bath. It has to be either ‘this” or “that” today, and another choice again tomorrow. It is up to each of us to make this kind of choice, be okay with it, and not give one of our precious fs to those who would have an objection to it.I work in health and wellness and am lucky that my partners and I share the same values, starting with not compromising health. Isn’t that what a work-life balance is about after all?If it was any other way, I think that re-evaluating the industry and/or the people I work with would be on the table.#TeamYou
As a mom, I know and accept indeed that I am the one doing most of that “job”. Moms are the ones getting stuff done. Period. Why? Because more often than not, we are the only one to know what needs to be done. Right? But, like in any successful organization I believe, one CEO can’t achieve much without a strong support network. And although it was hard for me at the beginning to let go of doing everything myself, I learned how to delegate. After all, managing a household is not so far away from managing an enterprise. So get a #TeamYou to support you, beautiful mama, in order to get your stuff done! Not everything, but what truly matters.Photos courtesy of the author.About the Author
Originally from Paris, Joëlle has been living between Asia, the Middle-East and France for the past 11 years. She studied French Aromatherapy and Aromachology, also known as Olfactive Therapy, at the Faculté Libre de Médecines Naturelles et d’Ethnomédecine in Paris. Committed to conveying knowledge about essential oils, Joëlle today works as a brand consultant and representative through her boutique agency, and has also created with her husband myhealthybangkok.com, where she shares her experience and tips to live a healthy life around here. Joëlle and her husband welcomed their baby boy in June 2018, happily joining the expat family community of Bangkok.The views expressed in the articles in this magazine are not necessarily those of BAMBI committee members and we assume no responsibility for them or their effects.BAMBI News welcomes volunteer contributors to our magazine. Please contact editor@bambiweb.org.