Are You Suffering From "Superwoman Syndrome?"

It's only natural to try and excel at whatever you're doing, whether at work, at home or at play.  Many women find themselves trying to be the perfect wife, mother, hostess, career woman and housekeeper.... all at the same time.

But this quest for perfection comes at a price, and a hefty one at that.

So why do we try and strive for this impossible goal of perfection, of trying to "do it all" ?

There are three main reasons why we feel we have to be "superwomen" -
Firstly, the media portrays these perfect woman who are glamorous, sexy, intelligent, women who    have it all together, and we see that and want to be like that ideal woman. Alas, this perfection only occurs on set in Hollywood.

Secondly, we may be trying to keep up with or compete with other moms that we see as being 'perfect' in one area or another. You may have a friend whose home is always immaculate and who cooks every meal from scratch. You think of the mess your home is in and the Spaghetti O's you gave your kids for supper last night and feel like a loser. But what may not be so readily apparent is the areas of your life where

Tradition is another reason why you may feel tempted to try and do it all. If your mom always kept an immaculate home and sewed all your clothes, you may be tempted to try it too. But times have changed, and the demands of modern life necessitate that we change too.

Your husband may have these impossibly high expectations too. He may have had a stay at home mom who cooked, baked, canned, and gardened. And now he expects you to do the same even though you work outside of the home. To make matters worse, you may have these expectations of yourself as well. It's important to speak to him and let him know that you are NOT Superwoman.

How do you stop the 'Superwoman Syndrome" in it's tracks?

1. Realize that you are human and have your limits. Your energy and time are finite and both are precious to waste.
2. Stop trying to compete with other woman stopping the comparisons dead in their tracks. When I'm tempted to compare myself to another woman, who seems more beautiful, better organized or a better homemaker I remind myself of the unique strengths and talents that I have.
3. efore doing something, ask yourself "Do I really want to do this?"
   "Or am I doing this to keep up with the Jones?"
   "Will doing this lead me closer to my goals?"
   " Is this in alignment with my goals?"
   "Am I sacrificing something more important to get this done?"

It's time we let go of unrealistic ideals and realize that you can have it all ....just not all at once.  Make time for what's truly important to you and let go of the rest.