The Working Mom
Achieving balance in a world that’s constantly tilting. Mental health has been at the forefront of my life for my entire adulthood and now into motherhood.
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Date Posted
2025-05-28
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Tags
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Written By
Advocating for Mental Health
Having lived through the challenges of mental illness — whether it was a friend, family member, or me struggling — I have spent over two decades immersing myself in learning about how mental illness works and the various complexities associated with it. I’ve added early year brain development, cognitive load capacity, variables, tools, and strategies to my toolbox along the way. Being a mother and full-time professional, juggling my work-life balance has been an orchestrated disaster to say the least. Change, adaptability, and progress are not pretty in reality but beautiful in essence.
Did you know?
24% of working Canadians have reported experiencing burnout most or all of the time and even higher in certain places of employment with tight deadlines and fast-paced environments.3
In the digital age, we’ve been made aware of the impact of social media on our well-being. One study found that 36% of users were affected by comparing themselves to others. 3
28% of Canadians have stated that their mental health affects their daily functioning, with 40% reporting it also disrupts their work life. 3
While I’ve explored many educational paths and career avenues (landing now as a project manager at Initiate), my passion has always rooted itself in solution-driven strategies to help others overcome barriers and solve problems by bringing people together and being or creating a voice for others. While working to align my values with my purpose, finding the right career and balancing a busy home life has been like the roller coaster you both enjoy and fear. You want off the ride, but when it’s over, you’re glad you did it! That is bravery: entering the unknown territory of change.
Building Well-Being in my Workplace
Today, I wake up and look forward to joining my team on the floor and powering through tasks while optimizing my surroundings. I do this by creating a space I feel safe in (and it’s full of plants!), but most importantly, the culture at Initiate doesn’t just feel safe – it is safe, and that’s a quality I prioritized while on my job hunt.
“Work-life balance is an individual measurement and may vary daily, monthly and over extended periods of time. The right balance will differ as your lifestyle changes” (LSO, 2021).1
Did you know?
Mental health isn’t the only risk on the job; nerve, tendon and muscle injuries can also occur from sedentary office jobs. 3
A 2024 Workopolis poll found that 67% of workers felt their workplace was toxic and roughly 74% expressed their mental health on the job not being optimal.5
Disconnecting from work outside of business hours reduces workplace fatigue and stress. 6
Going for a walk, going to the gym, hanging out with friends and family, and all these research-proven strategies are great but is there enough time in the day to put them in practice? After a long day at work, walking into a full house at dinner time, with what seems like a pack of wolves (called children), and not knowing what to prepare is daunting. Thankfully, I have a partner who loves to cook, but not everybody does. Sometimes the children help with clean up, but other times they don’t. The key to this is planning and preparation. Taking the time to sort out what can be done and where I can fit positive changes into my routine is key to avoiding stress (to the extent that I can control it).
The Impact of New Work Models
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, working remotely or hybrid has become the norm for many people. This makes compartmentalizing work-life responsibilities arduous given that it can often feel like we’re always “on”, especially when work accounts are linked to cell phones and notifications ping during off hours. Being so driven to do well in my career, I’ve had to take deliberate steps to make sure that when I’m off, I actually disconnect. I do this in a few ways: turning notifications off on my phone when the workday is finished, keeping myself busy, and being present in what I’m doing. Despite being tired and sometimes unmotivated, my partner and I make it a point to go for walks without our devices.
This gets me outdoors and moving while connecting with my partner, all things that fill your cup. I also spend quality time with my children. Even though they’re on the verge of adulthood and don’t always want to spend time with mum, I make sure we regularly have conversations with them, go out for walk, or grab a dessert. Burnout is very real, and when your glass is empty, you can’t pour into anyone else’s. To be productive in the workplace, I intentionally bank positive experiences outside of work as a means to manage stress and anxiety.
Here are some ways:
Connect with nature: Establishing a positive relationship with nature lets me maximize the present moment while being outside. (“Stopping to smell the roses”, if you will.) Measured by muscle tension, blood pressure and brain activity, it was found that only a few minutes can positively alter an individual’s state of mind and body when stressed, while increasing endorphin levels and the production of dopamine. This supports feelings of happiness.4
Pay attention to my social health: In the age of technology, it’s easy to shoot someone a text or like/share a post, but I make a point to have a telephone conversation or a walk with a friend. Social health is a primary pillar of well-being, so it must be a priority. It is just as important as eating right and staying active. It’s food for the mind and soul.
Get involved: Volunteering provides fresh perspectives through the lens of giving, supporting, and helping others. It feeds the “provider” part of us that longs for connection and the human need to belong. Doing this with your coworkers, friends, or family is a great way to nurture communion. In my early days at Initiate, I joined in on the company’s Earth Day clean-up of our neighbourhood. It promoted engagement with my newfound peers, got us all outdoors, and then we shared lunch together. It was wonderful.
The True Meaning of Balance
Work-life balance it neither this nor that: it’s a merging of your lifestyle. Where tools and strategies can be applied to both, it’s also important to remember that sometimes, we just rest. It goes without saying that the balancing act is a task in itself that puts everyone in a project management role. When I do this well, I feel in control, safe and connected — and isn’t that what balance is all about?
1 Achieving Work-Life Balance.” CAMH, www.camh.ca/en/camh-news-and-stories/achieving-work-life-balance. CAMH, n.d.
2 Canadian Psychological Association. ““Psychology Works” Fact Sheet: Benefits of Nature Exposure – Canadian Psychological Association.” Canadian Psychological Association, 15 Apr. 2024, cpa.ca/psychology-works-fact-sheet-benefits-of-nature-exposure/.
3 Government of Canada, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. “CCOHS: Disconnecting from Work.” www.ccohs.ca, 7 Dec. 2023, www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/disconnecting_work.html.
4 Marselle, Melissa, et al. “Examining Group Walks in Nature and Multiple Aspects of Well-Being: A Large-Scale Study.” Ecopsychology, vol. 6, no. 3, 2014, deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/140365/eco.2014.0027.pdf?sequence=1, https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/eco.2014.0027
5 Mayer, Kathryn. “It’s Likely You Have a Toxic Workplace. Now What?” Shrm.org, 2025, www.shrm.org/topics-tools/flagships/all-things-work/you-likely-have-a-toxic-workplace-now-what.
6 Mental Health Research Canada. “Key Facts on Mental Health.” Mental Health Research Canada, www.mhrc.ca/key-facts-on-mental-health.
