Mini Series on Women’s Mental Health. - Part 1

Welcome to the blog page of Greater Houston Counseling Services and a special 3 part blog mini series on Women’s Health.

Women through their lives can unequivocally go through so many changes through the years. Relationships, marriages, pregnancy, motherhood, juggling motherhood and work life are just a few of the challenges that women face daily. Some women are able to breeze through these challenges with ease but for the most part, it can be a stressful balancing act.

​This 3 part mini series will be looking at the following topics pertaining specifically to women.

Part 1 
Work life Balance in women
There are many women today in successful careers who are working hard and climbing up their chosen career path ladder. They are usually financially successful and work long hours to prove their dedication and expertise in the companies they work for or the businesses they run. But when trying to find a harmonious balance between a working woman and a husband and children entail, it can be very stressful and challenging. Being able to give 100% to your family and your career can prove to be difficult and sometimes we may feel like we are being pulled in too many directions and that expectations put upon us drain us mentally, emotionally and physically. This could end up putting a huge strain on our marriages, family life and our careers.

The key to balancing your home life and work life is to organize, prioritize and delegate where possible and allow one to one time in the day or week for loved ones.

Some key pointers that you can implement to create harmony and balance in life are as follows:

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• Delegate some of the tasks that you need help with to others if possible. Such as a partner, baby sitter, close relative or a tutor who may be able to help watch the children and help with their homework and take them to their activities after school. This could create less of a strain on you after you come home from a long day at work. ​
• Create a weekly schedule so that everyone in the home is doing a little something to help with managing the home. Such as cleaning, vacuuming, putting the trash out, emptying the dishwasher etc.
• Preplan meals for the entire week ahead in the weekends with your family so that you know exactly what you will be making daily. This careful planning can reduce quite a lot of stress after a long working day. 
• If they are old enough, encourage the children to help you in the daily cooking. This allows you to spend quality time talking to your children at the end of the day and allows you to stay connected to them while they are helping you. 
• It is also important to give kids albeit brief at times, some one on one time at the end of the day so that they can talk to you about school, problems and challenges that they are facing and any other things that they wish to share or need help with from you or your partner.​
• Prioritizing one on one time with your partner too is vital. Such as having date nights or maybe even having a relative, close friends or a trusted sitter keep the kids while you and your partner are able to get away for a weekend for some quality time.
• Juggling work and home can genuinely be a real challenge for working women but with some careful pre planning, prioritizing and help from others in the home, a harmonious balance can be created for a busy working woman.