Welcome to another Weekly Balance post! Let’s take a look at the last seven days, what I’ve been thinking about and what I’m recommending to you guys from this week.

What I’m thinking about…

Stress. Now that its the weekend, I’ve had a minute to reflect on the past month – and I’ve realised that it was a pretty stressful one. You’d think almost 18 months into a pandemic that the workload might have eased a bit – but truthfully, although we’ve made leaps and bounds since this time last year (hello vaccines!), it’s still a very busy time for us in public health. And that’s just the working day. Like many of you I’m sure, there are also ‘outside work’ commitments, and I think trying to keep on top of everything can feel like, well, a lot, sometimes. I’m listening to Shonda Rimes’s book The Year of the Yes on Audible, and in one chapter she spoke about her answer when she is asked ‘how do you juggle it all? Work, motherhood, balance?’ I’m paraphrasing that question, but you get the idea. And her honest answer gave me food for thought. She said that when she is smashing it in one area of her life, she is inevitably failing, or not 100%, in another. If she is writing her best work, she’s not at home present with her children. If she is giving her kids her full attention, she has to leave behind temporarily that script she was due to turn in yesterday. The best part is that she has made her peace with that, and it’s a philosophy I’ll be keeping in mind going forward. Perfection is a myth, we’re all human, and there are only so many hours in the day. Let’s give ourselves a break.

What I’m reading…

This week I’ve been reading Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah – I’m not quite finished it yet, but nearly! As always with Hannah’s books, I love it, but know it’s going to break my heart for the ending. I’ve about 50 pages left, so stay tuned for a review next week!

As always, let me know what you’re reading in the comments below, I’d love to hear! I’ll be reading the May Book Club pick next – Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty – if you’d like to join us just head over to my Instagram page to see the details.

What I’m listening to…

Here’s my top podcast from this week.

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepherd: The latest episode of this podcast is a gem – an interview with Prince Harry, no less! Harry and Dax discuss mental health and Harry’s life to date over a 90 minute conversation that I found surprisingly candid. Well worth checking out, particularly if you watched THAT Oprah interview!

Also, there is a new episode up on MY podcast! This week I was delighted to be joined by Dr. Abigail Collins, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, to discuss the important topic of COVID-19 and how we can keep our schools safe. You can listen in here.

What I’m watching…

This week I’ve just about finished Big Little Lies on NOW TV, and I’m excited to get on to the book next!

And that’s a wrap for this week gang! I’ll be taking a little break for a couple of weeks from this weekly post, so I’ll catch you guys in June.

If you want to get in touch, you can find me @theirishbalance on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I hope you have a lovely week ahead folks – remember, stay informed with the advice from your local health authority regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay safe, wash your hands, wear a mask, keep your distance and be kind!

Ciara x