Last week I had lunch with a friend and we were talking about how life never seems to slow down. She just got married in Mexico after a near two-year engagement, is looking at new homes, and is managing constantly shifting responsibilities in her career as a regional manager for a cosmetics company. I am planning a wedding in a mere two months and as a result have practically ceased all blogging and freelancing activities. There simply isn’t enough time to accomplish everything; I feel like even if I had six extra hours in every day, I still wouldn’t be able to get it all done.

For a while, I was pushing myself to accomplish as much freelance writing as possible in addition to my part-time job. I was determined to meet my daily income goals, and it was working. I was elated with my earnings, but I was also working 12 hours a day and I was getting severe migraines just about every week. I finally saw a doctor for the headaches, and he told me that it’s okay to not be Superwoman … that it’s normal after losing a job to go through an adjustment reaction where you feel like you have something to prove, maybe not to other people but maybe just to yourself. He reminded me to slow down and put my health first.

And now, wedding plans have forced me to take things slower. Even though our wedding is going to be simple and very low-budget, it seems like wedding plans are all I think about. I am fortunate that I am able to take a step back from freelancing and just work part-time. I have dropped some of my clients and am only doing those freelance projects that allow me to control the amount of work that I do (like Demand Studios). I haven’t had a migraine since before our vacation, though my body lets me know if I am pushing myself too hard, and I’ve learned to recognize the signs and to slow down or get some more sleep.

I think that it will always be a challenge to keep things in balance. I enjoy my writing projects, and I was often losing track of time, staying up late to finish articles or work on my passion projects like my blog or Web site. I feel energized when I am writing, and my excitement for my work would cause me to neglect things like getting enough sleep (or cleaning the apartment …). But my doctor is right: I don’t need to do everything, and I need to maintain a healthy life balance, even if it means getting by on less income than I used to earn. I can make things work on my current income, and I will be happier and healthier in the long run.

So I may not be blogging much for the next couple of months, but I know that it will still be here when I am ready. I have enough confidence in my freelancing experience and in the contacts I have made that I know I will be able to start finding more work when time allows. I just need to remember to build things gradually, and not bury myself in work again, and remember that I have nothing to prove. I know that I can do it, and I know that I have a great portfolio and solid skills, and I know that for now, I am right where I am supposed to be.