Slowing Down with Stefanie London

My husband and I have a long-standing joke about my "plate." My plate is my time, energy and headspace and the things on my plate represent how I chose to spend those things. Like a real plate with food on it, the mental plate needs to have a balance of things in order to be healthy. Work, family time, personal time, hobbies all need to be put onto the plate in a good ratio to keep us happy and fulfilled.

Sadly, my plate has been out-of-whack for some time. That's the thing about having a job that you love more than any other thing you've ever loved to do: it's easy to work yourself into the group. Long hours, late nights, weekends, sacrificing social occasions and time with loved ones.

The hardest thing of all, is that my brain won't switch off even when I have stepped away from my computer. I think about my stories all the time. I think my characters and the worlds I've created all the time. And writing books and meeting my deadlines is one piece of the publishing pie, there's all the promo, admin, editing etc. that goes along with it.

I used to joke with my husband when he said I had too many things on my plate that I would simply "find a bigger plate."

But there's only so much one can give up before work becomes the only thing getting focus in life. As much as I adore writing and I would not give up this career for anything, I've realized that a bigger plate is just not available to me. My body and mind are craving the things I'd given up, craving a healthy balance.

So this is why I'm going to become a Lovecat in the wild. The need to carve out more time for myself unfortunately had to come from somewhere. But I want to take this opportunity to thank the Lovecats for taking me on back in 2014 when I was green and new and so wide-eyed. The support I've received from the wonderful ladies here is something I'll be eternally grateful for.

Thanks also to all the readers of the Lovecats blog! The community here is so warm and welcoming, you're all fantastic. I have one more post to go live after this (my Sunday Smooch for Bad Bachelor) and after that you'll be able to find me on my website www.stefanie-london.com and via any of my Newsletter and Facebook page.

Thanks for making me feel like part of the family x