I consider myself a stay-at-home mom that has a hard time accepting that role. I have the heart of an entrepreneur and am consistently finding myself exploring ways of generating income to help support our family (pressure I put on myself). Whether it is photography, website and logo design, blogging, baby-sitting, or some sort of sales, I have the ability to really pile things on. While I thoroughly enjoy being a wife/mother and whatever my daily endeavor may be, my biggest challenge is taking a timeout for myself to unwind and rejuvenate. I start to feel my ability to be a fun, loving wife and mother plunge and the side work that I am doing becomes less fulfilling. In fact, I begin to recognize that I am exhausted and probably not that fun to be around. |
While surfing the web about timeouts, I came across a blog, Basketball for Coaches, by Coach Mac that featured an article, “The 5 Moments throughout a Game You Must Call a Timeout”. As a former athlete and coach, I recognize the importance of using time outs wisely. I thoroughly enjoyed Coach Mac’s entry and found it to have a lot of parallels to everyday life whether you are a professional, stay-at-home mom, student, etc. I took Coach Mac’s article and applied “The 5 Moments throughout a Game You Must Call a Timeout” to daily life. I hope this helps you if you are struggling with some of the same obstacles as me.
1. To stop the momentum of the other team (and the crowd)
In my situation, the crowd happens to be my 3 year old daughter and 1 year old son, my charming husband, family and friends, crazy dog, 1 year old boy that I babysit, workload that is piling up, house chores, errands, etc. Not one of these is set out to take me down. In fact, I am overwhelmed with love by my sweet family and friends, but I place an immense amount of pressure on myself to accomplish everything all at once. I would like to clone myself or add more time to the day so I can provide all the attention that they all need. Why do I let it get the best of me? It piles up and piles up until I feel like I am losing control and that’s when I realize the best remedy is to call a timeout! A timeout is a great way to regain composure and focus on taking care of myself so that I can best serve everyone around me.
2. To change your game strategy
Often coaches use timeouts to alter the strategy. Likewise, a time out is useful for anyone to help strategize how to balance the demands of life. For me, my most successful strategy is to create a schedule and organize a list of what needs to be accomplished (this even includes activities with my kids). Scheduling a timeout is just as important as scheduling all the tasks needed to be accomplished. When I do this and stick to it, it helps the whole family function better. I will tell my husband that I need “x” amount of time on this day so I can complete my work or have “me” time. He then is responsible for the everlasting needs of the children and everyone knows that mom is off limits. Let’s not forget scheduling a date night with your spouse because your relationship is just as important as the relationship you have with your children. ß I know this is an area that I really need to work on!
3. To draw up a specific play For coaches, it is usually with seconds remaining in the game that a specific play is needed to win, but in the real world you never know what life is going to throw your way. It usually happens when things feel like they are all under control and then something comes out of leftfield that throws everything out of whack. I believe this is God’s way of reminding us who is in control. Even in these unplanned situations, I believe a timeout is beyond necessary to care for your well-being. Use a time to relax, pray, reflect, or whatever you may need to do to help yourself get back to playing your best at the game of life. A day at the spa is never a bad thing!
4. To give your players a rest without substituting
Let’s face it, there’s nobody just like you. Everybody is unique in their own way and sometimes a substitute just won’t do the job. Use a timeout even just for a few minutes to regain composure and a quick recharge. The power of a short nap is worth millions in my world!
5. To fire up your team
Everybody can use a little pep talk from time to time! It doesn’t matter who you are words of encouragement can be a great motivator. Use your timeout to redirect negativity and change to positive. Everyone can look at their life and dwell on the things they don’t have, but doesn’t it feel so much better to focus on what we do have instead and be thankful for that? This might be an excellent time out for the “15 minutes of chair time”.
Timeouts are crucial to sports, and can impact the outcome of a game if used wisely and effectively. In the same way timeouts are crucial to life and help us be the best we can be. We cannot serve those around us to the best of our ability without first taking care of ourselves. Whether you enjoy resting, reading, exercise, or something else I hope that you find a timeout beneficial so that you are energized the be the best you can be. My goal is to practice what I preach and regularly use a timeout so that I am ready to be the best that I can be. Do you want to join me with this challenge?