I stare at the computer all day, solving bugs, writing specs, fixing problems, creating content, and managing everything from deadlines to dinner. I am carrying the weight of a family and two jobs with no one to take over.
Here’s what I started to pay attention to: my face shows it.
I have lines around my mouth, and sadly, they are not from smiling (it’s not something that responsible parents do often?!) but from being serious, focused, and in survival mode for so long. I also have wrinkles on my forehead from furrowing my brows at error logs, screens, calendars, and worry.
These lines?
They’re not from time.
They’re from:
- Tension.
- Carrying more than one human should.
- Staying in survival mode too long.
I used to think, Maybe I need something done.
A filler, a lift, a fix.
But here’s what I really needed.
A life filler.
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Hello there! My name is Mina. Welcome to Work-Life Balance Hacks.
Here I share work-life balance tips, hacks for single parents, and self-care and wellness tips in my area of expertise as a health coach.
If you’re new, don’t miss these favorites:
The Mirror Moment That Changed Everything
I remember the night it hit me.
I worked all day at two jobs: one for my corporate employer, where I perform as an extrovert, and the other for my own content, my truth work, the wellness voice I’m still building.
I had cooked dinner, done school logistics, cleaned up, and finally stood in front of the bathroom mirror.
It was the moment I was supposed to apply my night cream and call it a day.
But I looked at my face and thought: I quit.
Not my job.
Not my life.
… Me.
My expression was serious. My lines were deep.
And they weren’t from joy or age.
They were from over-functioning, nonstop survival, and sitting in front of screens for more than 10 hours each day.
I looked like someone who had carried a life alone for too long.
That’s when the thought came. So quietly, I almost missed it:
Maybe I’ll just get filler. Botox. Fix it. Do what everyone else does.
And for a moment, it seemed logical. Easy.
But then something louder answered: No. That fix wouldn’t fix anything.
What would I do after? Go back to the same job that drained me? Smile through it all looking “fresh”?
Pretend that what stole my glow also made me beautiful?
No.
That would be the lie.
And I’ve told myself enough lies just to keep going, performing, while experiencing burnout.
Red Flag: When You Start Thinking You Need to Be Fixed
That’s the moment to pause.
Not because your face needs repair.
But because your life does.
When we start googling ‘wrinkle fillers‘ and not ‘rest’,
When we reach for injections instead of care,
When our exhaustion makes us feel like our face is the problem.
That’s the red flag.
It’s not your face. It’s your soul asking for help.
I could fill the lines—but not the fatigue behind my eyes.
I could plump my skin—but not the life that’s been flattened by over-functioning.
I could smooth the surface—but not the grief underneath.
And so I decided: no needle would make me feel alive again. I needed to begin with softness, stillness, truth, and something real.
So What Do You Really Need? Life Filler.
I want something to fill the cracks.
Not with acid or serum, but with:
- Rest that feels like “It’s OK.” Like you’re safe.
- A voice asking, “How are you, really?”
- Mornings that don’t feel like war.
- Meal I didn’t cook.
- A break I didn’t earn.
- Laughter that’s real and spontaneous.
- A walk in the sun with no reason or rush.
Because these wrinkles?
They’re not the problem.
They’re the proof.
What Life Filler Looks Like in Real Life
Here are ten gentle, real-life ways to begin filling your life, instead of fixing your face:
1. Set a real-life pause
You don’t need permission to pause. Start small—five, ten, thirty intentional minutes each day to breathe, reflect, or exist without solving anyone’s problems.
From my post Embrace the Sweetness of Doing Nothing, learn to savor the quiet beauty in simply being present. No goals, no productivity, just the gentle rhythm of dolce far niente.
2. Create a non-negotiable hour
Schedule a daily hour just for you and things that matter to you, even if it means saying no, letting go of perfection, or delegating unapologetically. You can even do it during lunch. I call it the power hour for corporate parents.
Need help with planning this hour? Here’s how to time block like a pro.
3. Bring softness back
Life doesn’t have to feel harsh. Echoing my message from How to Live, Not Just Work, introduce softness intentionally—in your words, actions, clothing, and space.
Even some holiday home decor tips may help you set the intention of how you want to live and inspire you to start a new life project.
4. Nourish to flourish
Food should love you back. Choose meals that feel like gentle hugs, not obligations. Make lunch restorative with Lunch That Loves You Back.
Explore more food support in these expert posts:
5. Find your village (or build one)
Even superheroes need backup. Seek out or build your circle. For connection and support, join our Shine Bright Wellness Community.
6. Sleep like you mean it
Sleep is the original beauty treatment. Proper rest restores not just how you feel but also how you look.
As a health coach, I always say: make sleep a sacred ritual. Dim the lights. Log off. Create a space where your body feels safe and your mind can soften. A place where the world quiets down and your nervous system says, “It’s OK now.”
Make bedtime a transition to peace, not just the end of productivity.
7. Laugh intentionally
I miss laughing. I used to laugh every day. It was in my nature, or natural, more to say. But then came work, parenting, and responsibilities, and suddenly, joy became something I had to earn.
But I’ve found it in unexpected places- trying new workout moves from Tracy Anderson and laughing at myself in the mirror, riding bikes with my kids, and showing off how I used to do it as a child. Laughter returns when I flip through old childhood photos and realize my mom gave me the exact same haircut as my brother. LOL!
Laughter doesn’t always have to come from jokes—it can come from movement, memory, and letting go. So bring it back, on purpose. It softens the weight of adulthood.
Plan your weekend activities with your kids, not just for them but also for your well-being.
8. Move with love, not obligation
I’ve always loved movement. It’s not just a habit, it’s my joy. I grew up sporty, playful, and energized by motion. I am all into fitness apps, bike riding, and always waiting for someone to join me for a tennis match.
But I know not everyone feels that way. And for many, movement has become another thing on the to-do list, another “should” in a world already full of pressure.
So let me offer this: movement doesn’t need to be intense, structured, or even consistent. It just needs to feel good. You can move your body like you’re playing again, not performing.
Movement is a chance to come home to yourself. To feel alive in your skin again.
For more inspiration, check out:
9. Delegate like your life depends on it
Because it does. Ask for help. Ask for help, even when it feels uncomfortable. Let your partner prep dinner. Let your child fold the laundry. Let someone else handle the appointments.
And if no one is helping? Then let tech help. Use grocery delivery. Buy the vacuum robot. Set up shared calendars. Automate what you can. Outsource what drains you. Offload the invisible labor that’s aging you faster than time itself.
You weren’t built to do it all. You don’t have to prove you can.
Delegating doesn’t just give you back time—it gives you back life.
10. Redefine your mornings
Mornings shouldn’t feel like a war. They should feel like a return—to yourself.
The first 10 minutes of your day shape how you show up for the next 10 hours. If your mornings begin with chaos, noise, and rushing, you’re already behind before your workday begins.
But what if mornings were built for peace? For breath? For presence?
You don’t need a 5 a.m. miracle routine to feel well. You need a gentle start.
Soft light. Movement. A warm drink. A quiet moment before the world begins pulling at you again.
You don’t need a morning that performs—you need one that restores.
I wrote a powerful newsletter about the hidden burnout in our morning routine; It’s saved inside the Shine Bright Wellness Library, where I archive every truth drop I send.
This Is How You Stop Fixing and Start Filling
None of it fixes you. But it fills you.
And maybe that’s what healing looks like: being filled, not fixed.
Wrinkles aren’t the problem. Burnout is.
You were never meant to be a machine. You were never meant to carry the weight of survival and smile through it.
You don’t need to be plumped, lifted, or erased. You need to be held. Nourished. Seen. And restored.
This post isn’t just about burnout or beauty. It’s about reclaiming what got lost while you were holding everyone else together.
If this message speaks to you, send it to a friend who needs a moment of truth today.
Let’s start filling our lives,
Mina
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