US & Our Journey in Becoming A Balanced Beauty
Balanced Beauty Boutiques is a place where women can go to find self care products and tips to help them create their own life balance from the inside out.
Hi, my name is Kristen Schafer, and I am the owner and founder of Balance Beauty Boutiques. This is my journey in finding my life balance and becoming my own version of a Balanced Beauty.
Many of us women who grew up in my generation were taught that we could “have it all”. The life where we can be a wife, mother, career woman, with the house and white picket fence. Well maybe not the white picket fence but you get the idea. What we were not taught however, was once we have it all how are you supposed to balance and handle it without burning out in the process?
Our moms were the generation of mothers who worked a full-time job, while maintaining a home, raising kids, and having dinner ready by 6 pm. Life may not have been this perfect each day, but our mothers sure did try to reach those expectations that were set.
They were the mother’s frozen microwave and oven meals were invented for so they could work all day and not spend so much time in the kitchen. Where a fast food meal became a “Family Treat”. When in actuality, it was giving our mom’s the possibility of a night off in the kitchen.
Then once in a great while, our moms would get the chance to take a quick bath to de-stress, relax, and have time to herself…If she were lucky and all the stars, planets and moons aligned, of course. 😉 Our mothers were Super Moms no matter how tired they were they found a way to get it all done. Naturally, I thought all of this was attainable for me too.
When I became an adult, I eventually got married and graduated college. During this time, I had my first child and I began my career in women’s health where I was fortunate to work for a Gynecologist who also specialized in Bio Identical Hormone Therapy. Here I was able to talk with women of all ages and stages of life.
Our family also grew from just two of us to four of us and eventually a house and dog were added in there somewhere along the way. This is where I could have said, “I have it all” … minus the white picket fence 😉. I reached the goals that I worked so hard to reach, but I was tired. I was feeling burnt out. Not just in one area, but in all areas of my life. I did not want to be tired and burnt out in my thirties. I felt in every area of my life that I held a role, I was only “ok” or “good” at all of them, but not “great” or “exceptional” at any of one of them. I felt I could be better at each of those roles in my life, but I was being spread too thin.
I was proud of myself for getting to where I was, but I did not feel I had the life balance I wanted. I used to think I was a better mom because I worked and had a career, so it made me appreciate the time I had with my family since my career took so much of my time. At this point of my life this “life balance” worked for me.
Then over the years what I considered a balanced life changed. I began to feel guilt for all the things I was missing and what I felt I should be doing as a mom, wife, boss, employee, friend, sister, daughter, granddaughter, cousin, etc.
As I started to look back and analyze myself and the women I have encountered in my career and life, I noticed every woman had her own version of what it meant to “have it all”. They each had a set of expectations for themselves for a balanced life.
Out of all the women who would have been considered to “have it all”, some were full of life and found their life balance. Others were like me and felt, tired, burnt out, and inadequate. Those of us who were feeling the absence of balance, all had one thing in common: lack of self-care.
We spent so much time looking at the bigger picture of what we wanted to accomplish personally, but we forgot to take care of the very shell that created and held all this greatness that got us to having it all. Our body, mind, and soul. Those were the things that were neglected.
I remember thinking about the wonderful women I have known throughout my life and realizing this did not happen overnight or when they got “old”. This began at a young age. Where we created those expectations that we and society have put on us to achieve.
Each day that our self-care gets pushed to the bottom of the next days to do list, is another day we throw off our Life Balance. The life balance between Self-Care, Family, Career, and Making a Difference. Whatever our personal life balance may be, all of them fall under these four categories. Well and if you are like me, you may not feel balanced in any of these areas either.
However, the women who were full of life and balanced were the women who also prioritized self-care. These were the women who radiated beauty, positive energy, peace, and happiness from the inside out. They felt content with life and where they were at in it. They were truly a Balanced Beauty.
As I continue my journey in creating balance and my version of a Balanced Beauty, I will share those products and information on here and social media, to help all of you on your journey.
At Balanced Beauty Boutiques, we believe that all women deserve to be a Balanced Beauty. This is the place you can go to find ways to balance out your life, starting first and foremost with YOU. Balanced Beauty Boutiques wants to help all of you create your version of a Balanced Beauty.
With Love,
Kristen Schafer
Owner, Balanced Beauty Boutiques, LLC