Can We Really Have It All?

From Mami’s unreturned phone calls to the pileup of work emails, there’s always someone demanding your best attention now and your finest response yesterday. But what’s the first thing to get shoved to the side? Ever-important “me” time.

“I always tell people to picture their life like a pie,” says Lauri Burns, founder of The Teen Project, a nonprofit that helps homeless and foster teens create balanced, healthy lives. That pie should include everything: romance, la espiritualidad, family, work, leisure and hermana time. “The goal is to nourish the multiple parts of your life consistently in order to feel joyous and confident.”

According to Natalie Gahrmann, a women’s leadership coach, we have to prioritize what we value most, and then make choices to support those decisions. Here’s how to bring balance and confidence to your daily life:

1. Identify Priorities “Determine what’s most important to you and align yourself with those areas of your life,” says Gahrmann. Look for the things that give you a feeling of wholeness and satisfaction, such as maintaining your Latina identity or searching for your true calling.
 
2. Get Organized “A balanced life involves planning and prioritizing my daily tasks,” says Cynthia Warden, a self-employed publicist. Each night, write down your activities and priorities for the next day. Make sure to plan for personal time-outs.
 
3. Build a Support Network Our first reaction is often to figure things out on our own. But, says Gahrmann, we can keep stress in check by asking an amiga, a colleague or even a tía for help with projects.