Nowadays, when there is a separation, joint custody is almost the norm. But we must not forget those who live alone with their children who have a spouse who travels a lot.
Me, this has been my reality for several years. My husband travels a lot. He happens to be filming for five weeks, outside the country. I'm used to it… but since I no longer work from home, it requires even more effort, understanding and organization.
I wanted to share with you my tips for living the daily balance to which I aspire in order to be a happy and accomplished woman with my daughters, at work and… with myself.
No choice to prepare meals for the week in advance. Being someone who usually decides what to eat half an hour beforemeal, it made me change my habits… But oh! how it improves my daily life.
Get up very early. I get up between 5:45 and 6 a.m. every morning. So, I am standing before my children. It allows me to meditate, read, write and do my 15 minutes of cardio. Starting my day like this is the greatest giftI can afford.
Going on a social outing for yourself. One evening a week (or almost), I go out to eat or have a drink with a friend… and it's wonderful.
Allow myself not to be available to everyone. I can't please everyone and I have to put my energies in the right places. On weeknights, I rarely answer the phone. It may sound wild, but my days are so intense that what energy I have left goes to my daughters. I am fully available for others on weekends.
Enjoying the present moment. When my oldest is at her father's house, I am sometimes alone during the weekend with my youngest. We do nothing and everything at the same time. No visiting, no friends, just the two of us being us, watching movies, laughing, having fun, playing. She has my full attention and that is so much what we need.
Comfort and recognition
The reality in situations like this is that alone we have to compensate for whoever is absent.
Not always easy for us, and especially not for our children. My little one misses her dad a lot and the more the weeks go by, the more she asks for him. One day, during one of her trips, she got up and her first words were: “I lost my daddy”. Charmed and heartbroken, I had to comfort her and tell her what was going on. In my case, it's still not worse at all, he left to work, he will come back, he loves us and we see itby Skype every day.
Even though it is difficult, I consider myself very lucky to know that there is a man I love who will return after his travels, happy to see us and very much in love.
Good thinking! Be grateful!
Julie xx
