The juggling act: work, school holidays and self-care

For me, summer is all about one main thing - the end of the summer term for my kids, and the school holidays.

I am blessed with three gorgeous children, all of whom are incredibly sporty. So, I have spent a lot of time recently between work calls, standing on the sidelines of running races and sports events, cheering them all on. It's wonderful - especially in the sunny weather.

However, I am also privileged to be a working mum, with a busy, intense, all-encompassing job. I love it, and I am especially fortunate to have the flexibility (as the boss), to work from home as needed, and to manage my time in a way that (sort of) works for me.

That doesn't make it easy though. It doesn't mean I don't drop balls, feel guilty, sometimes forget things and largely neglect my own well being in a bid to please everyone and do everything all the time.

Is there such a thing as a healthy balance?

Now, to a greater or lesser extent, when it comes to how I manage my time, the buck stops with me. Ever since I started Spabreaks.com, which is about the same time I had my eldest son, I have been juggling. I have always said that I would never let any of my 'babies' lose out - the one that loses out is me and my wellbeing, and at times I have really paid a price for that.

Lots of us have very busy lives, whether we have children or not, so while I see a lot of this from the position of parent, I think similar challenges apply to all of us at different stages of life, whether it's managing our own health, ageing parents, kids, pets, careers, etc. We're all told to find this Nirvana-like 'balance' but no one really has an answer on how to achieve it. Sure, Instagram does a very good job of showing us pictures of it but hopefully we all take that with a pinch of salt because everybody has their 'stuff'.

A little spa space goes a long way

For parents, school holidays put this question of balance under a glaring spotlight, and while it can be enormous fun and a time to build happy memories, I tend to find it throws a bit of a spanner in the works when it comes to this elusive 'balance'.

Even as someone who works in the world of spa, I have yet to really achieve or know what balance truly means. What I do know is that a little R&R as often as you can goes a long way, I know that wellbeing experiences shared enrich the soul and the relationship, and I know that people who have a little time to themselves have more bandwidth to enjoy the crazy, messy, joyful, frustrating chaos of life and family life. That is the foundation of my love for spas and everything they have to offer - there's something for everybody, situation, life stage, preference and occasion.

We're all just doing our best, but it doesn't hurt to get a little help along the way.