Multiple Roles

Women often stretch themselves beyond belief. The woman of today is supposed to be it all. Bring in six figures, be the sexy wife, the tireless mom of two, entertain, volunteer, and oh did I mention have great culinary skills. She’s not just the woman, she’s the superwoman. She does it all with her endless well of energy. Like the triple and quadruple superstars of today. Sing, dance, act, produce, design and manage spare time to save the world. And I thought I had a lot going on.

As the gender with a higher YES to NO ratio, it isn’t surprising then that we often feel exhausted. The dangers of our many responsibilities often registers after we crash and burn on our superwoman quest. The thought of forgetting to give oneself a break may sound laughable but in our society it is more common than not. So much so that a conscious effort is made to fit me-time in the schedule.

The set-up of our society may seem like there is no other option, however one simple way of dealing with this is knowing the many roles you have and the expectations/responsibilities they come with. We are all daughters and employees/ers. Have been or are students and will most likely be wives and mothers in the future. The clearer you are of your many roles, the easier it is to prioritize and split your energy. Stephen R. Covey (The Seven habits of Highly Effective People) suggests identifying your roles will enable you to clearly see all that you are responsible for and choose how you spend your time.

For example a ‘sister’ and a ‘friend’ role identification may go like this:

ROLE RESPONSIBILITY
Sister To aid my siblings with anything that they may need help with
Friend To be the supportive yet honest friend that I seek for myself

It’s not an instant fix to the constant doing and going, but as a starting point, it’s sure to have you make better use of your not-so endless well of energy.