Wellness: Catch 22 - The dance of the working mum

Where did the phrase Catch 22 come from? What does it even mean? It is a term coined by Joseph Heller in his 1962 novel - Catch 22 in which an army psychiatrist describes a paradoxical situation in which a pilot who declares himself to be insane to avoid dangerous missions can NOT be declared insane because of the sanity it would take to make the first declaration to avoid dangerous missions. Got it? An impossible situation, with zero chance of a solution.

I don't know a single mum who isn't doing some sort of catch 22 kind of dance right about now.

One Two, Clean up the poo. 

Three Four, Clean up some more. 

Five Six,  Pick up the kid(s) 

7. 8. Forever running late. 

We return to work, juggle the child(ren) and his/her/their activities, give our partners (if we have them) the support they need, and keep up social engagements, networking and family obligations. We scour social media and Google for life hacks to make the tasks we have to deal with on the daily, less work, more efficient and (of course!) more eco friendly. 

I'm on my third bout of the flu this season. It's been particularly unkind to me this year, but gathering from the news feeds so are a lot of people. Each time I think I'm well enough to go get my vaccine (because I got sick the first time before it was even flu season), a new bug comes along.

I think the worst thing about being a mum is having to continue to put someone else's needs before your own when you're not well. You end up run down, exhausted and infuriated with everything and everyone around you. Some people would argue that this is part of the job, what we signed up for, the most rewarding experience of our lives. 

To be honest ladies, I'm finding it hard to be a feminist right now. I'm nearly 1 year into motherhood (1 year, 9 months if you count the pregnancy), working 2 jobs + freelancing (none of which is actually paying enough to get our savings going again). I'm lucky thought right? If I have any money coming in at all, I'm in the top 8% of the population, or so I've been told by someone I can't remember, maybe a Youtuber? I'm not being persecuted for my religious beliefs, I'm not dying of starvation in Africa, I'm not living in America under the Trump regime. #livinitup 

Sure. But here's my *negative thought process and my (I know its silly) counter argument: 

- I am a woman, and now a mother;
- It has already limited my capacity in some ways, to be a productive member of modern society;
- if society gives up on me; 

- decides that I'm not worth anything (my only worth was the birth of my son?);

- decides that I'm too unhealthy (physically or mentally);

- decides they don't want me...

... then homelessness & poverty are real possibilities.

*I know this thought pattern is a real bummer, so if you want, just scroll right to the end of this post for something lighter and brighter  :) 

I had coffee with an old colleague a few weeks back who was encouraging me to seek better employment. His number 1 bragging point at the meeting was how in 10 years he has only ever taken 1 sick day. Great. I thought. So I'm well and truly out of the race when it comes to that category. 

Wellness.

It's the buzzword that the internet and every fitness business guru within spitting distance is referencing. Are you well? How is your wellness? Could you do with some more wellness? Yes, absolutely!

Well, Duh! 

This is my buzzword. Duh! Yes, of course I would love some wellness. Duh! I run my own fitness business so I should have wellness! Duh! I have a little child to take care of, so my wellness is kind of essential, right? Duh! 

Rest. and. Relaxation. 

So do I take time to properly recover? Do I get time to rest, to revive, to recuperate my 'wellness'? Not really. When I'm at home, not at work or Zumba, I'm taking care of my child, I'm scouring the internet for life hacks, I'm seeking advice from other mums, I'm working on my social media game, I'm ranting to you in this blog, I'm working on the next task in my to do lists. 

If you have any advice, hit me up. I'm done. 

Rant over. Back to the dance.

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*If you made it through my negativity and got to the end of this post, I'm truly sorry. To make it up to you, here's my daily positive affirmation process to counteract this awfully negative rant of a post:

- I am mum
- I am loved
- I am more than just a mum
- I am superwoman, bat girl, wonder woman & captain marvel rolled into one.
- My life is valuable beyond tangible measure.

PS. Who doesn't love a slinky?

About the author: 
Victoria is 31, co-founder and Zumba Fitness instructor at Love Your Fitness (LYF), as well as a part-time project manager, hobby graphic designer by night and full time mum to Tobias (born July 2019).