The Juggle is Real: Balancing Love, Work, and Life on the Move
How I’m navigating a long-distance relationship, freelance life, and finding moments of calm amidst the chaos.
This week, I want to talk about ‘The Juggle’ - something we all face, though it looks different for each of us. For me, it feels like three big things: constant movement, a long-distance relationship, and building my freelance career. Here’s how it’s playing out.
First up, the constant moving. This has been a theme throughout my life - by 40, I’d lived in about 40 homes. Some were weeks or months, others years, but it’s safe to say that I’ve moved around a lot, especially since the pandemic. Even though I bought a house last January, the travel continues - since May, I’ve been on the move every one to two weeks.
A big reason for that is my partner, who lives in Brussels. We’ve been together for three years, and he’s just started a new job that’s demanding and inflexible. He also has an eight-year-old son from a previous relationship, so if we want to spend more time together as a family, it makes sense for me to find ways to be in Brussels more.
Cue my current situation. Right now, I’m in the Northeast visiting my mum, who’s kindly offered to take care of Misty, my dog, for a few months. I love my dog so much, and the thought of leaving her is actually a bit devastating. But with my two usual dog sitters suddenly unavailable, managing everything with her has become almost impossible. The flexibility I need to move between places and work just isn’t there, so my mum has stepped in and I’m incredibly grateful to her for helping out.
Speaking of work, my freelance career is slowly taking shape, but it’s still a process. I’m figuring out the type of work that energises me, the type of clients I enjoy working with, and how best I can help them. It reminds me of when I started the Abram Wilson charity - it took five years to really get comfortable with it, and I think it’ll be a similar journey here. This last year has been about figuring out what I want to do, and now I’m in the stage of finding what works, what doesn’t, and what feels aligned with my values.
Lately, though, I’ve been dealing with a lot of anxiety. It comes and goes, but this past week has been especially tough. I’ve been exhausted at night, but I haven’t been able to sleep - everything feels dysregulated and it’s affecting my mood and my ability to focus. I’ve spent years working on my mental health, starting with psychotherapy at 28 and for the past three and a half years, I’ve been working with a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. Normally, I can ground myself, but lately, none of my usual tools have been working.
I think part of it is the constant moving. My routine is all over the place, I’m not eating how I usually would, and I haven’t had the space or energy to move my body the way I like. On top of that, I think my hormones might be shifting. I’ve convinced my GP to run full blood and hormone tests to see if I’m entering perimenopause, which could explain the anxiety and sleep issues. We’ll see.
So, that’s the juggle this week. I’ve been reflecting on it a lot, and while I don’t have all the answers, I’m trying to be kinder to myself. On Wednesday, I had plans to drive to my mum’s at night during a weather warning, even though I was completely exhausted. I was pushing myself to make it, but I realised I wasn’t in the right state to drive, so I let go of the pressure I was placing on myself. Instead, I took a bath and read, hoping I’d feel more rested in the morning. It sounds small, but it was hard to let go because I desperately wanted to be productive the next day, and travel days aren’t good for that. It reminded me that sometimes we just have to slow down and let go of what we can’t control.
If you’re juggling too, I see you. It’s tough, and we don’t talk about it enough. Whatever your version of ‘The Juggle’ looks like, I hope you find moments of stillness in the chaos. And remember, it’s okay to ask for help, even if it feels vulnerable (still working on that one myself).
My question for you, {{contact.first_name}} is: what are you juggling right now? How’s it impacting you? And what could you let go of, even temporarily, to make things flow a bit more easily?
Till soon!
Jennie x
P.S. What to chat? Book a 30 minute discovery call with me HERE.
P.P.S. Here’s how you can work with me:
Organisations: For organisations seeking new and creative ways to engage their teams. I offer playful facilitation for team engagement, communication and innovation. [click HERE to find out more].
Individuals: For purpose-driven creatives and entrepreneurs feeling stretched and overwhelmed. I offer coaching to achieve clarity and balance so that you can build a sustainable career or business you care about. [click HERE to find out more].
Primary Education: For educators working with Reception – Year 3 who want to strengthen their pastoral care and enhance their PSHE curriculum, my drama and storytelling will help your children explore feelings such as courage and fear to build emotional intelligence and resilience. [click HERE to find out more or book an assembly and workshop].