I was provided with a copy of this book to read & review, however all opinions are my own.
Being a working mom, balancing all areas of life can be quite challenging. Sometimes, you feel like you’re failing at every area because you’re not devoted to just one. And that’s not how we were made to feel! We were made to thrive, not just survive this life. In her book, Octopus on a Treadmill, Gifty Enright agrees. She takes us through her journey to health & wellbeing as a working mom.
She had been racing like an Octopus on a Treadmill from dawn till dusk juggling family, career and the endless demands of modern life, to the detriment of her health. It was her lifestyle rather than her biology that was causing the imbalance in her hormones and her ability to live her best life. She details how she transformed her physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being by taking a holistic approach to healing.
While I enjoyed the book overall, there were some places I didn’t quite agree with and that felt a little forced to be honest. The points were very redundant throughout the pages as well.
All in all, it was certainly worth the read as a working mom, and there were so many places that I had a hearty “amen!” or “yes ma’am!”. Here are my favorite quotes from the book:
“The truth is that we were never designed – physically emotionally or spiritually – to withstand the frenetic an impossible demand that modern life and society put upon working mothers.” (Page 5)
“Every working mother needs to read this book if for nothing else to know that you are not alone and to have a good laugh as it is hilarious in parts” (Page 6)
“To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man’s injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man’s superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage? Without her, man could not be. If nonviolence is the law of our being, the future is with woman. Who can make a more effective appeal to the heart than woman?” -Mahatma Gandhi (Page 7)
“As Eleanor Roosevelt, said “no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” (Page 22)
“We need to show our daughters how strong they are an educated them about their talents and value to society. We need to teach them not to underestimate them selves or wait for someone to give them permission to go after what they want. If they do they will be waiting for a long time.” (Page 23)
“Abraham Lincoln said most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be when you make up your mind to be happy you except the responsibility for how you feel.” (Page 102)
“In our busy world where we have got technology and can work on the run, we are more stressed out than ever. Rather than allocating time to task we try to shoot for and two tasks into the same slot just because we can. That isn’t clever; it’s stressful and no one wins. The fact that we can doesn’t mean that we should. It is practically impossible these days to have a chat with someone for more than three minutes without some sort of interruption from a device. Undivided attention has become a rare commodity. The tragedy of all this is that it is human connections that de-stress us. It is not the money we make. It is not the house. It is the sense of belonging. Social interactions contribute more to our well-being than doubling our income.” (Page 112)
“To live a successful life, we have to be aware of the things that are important to us and make us feel alive, then do more of those things.” (Page 113)
“The airplane analogy is a good one for boundaries. You cannot take care of someone until you have taking care of yourself, and this includes the vulnerable and your dependents.” (Page 116)
“The fact that something is a good thing to do does not mean that it is a good thing for you to do at this time of your life. This is where your time management comes in.” (Page 117)
“Stress management – identify your stressors. Change what you can. Know your limits. Involve other people.” (Page 123)
“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.” – Maya Angelou (Page 147)
“Working mothers’ guilt can be debilitating. You feel like you are a jack of all trades and a master of none.” (Page 153)
