Let's delete word 'must'

I must admit, I have been struggling lately with life/work balance. And I'm not even a parent, just to add.

Work seems to overtake nearly all my time, with stress levels somehow never letting up. Chasing deadline after deadline leaves no time to take a breath, and when - for some indescribably reason - I get that moment once in a blue moon, I feel guilty. 'I should be doing more, maybe something in advance so I can help myself when things get hectic again', I think to myself. By the time Friday comes, I am spent, looking at my spinning wheel or my camera and thinking - no, not today, I need rest.

The image above is the first landscape shot I took in months. I used to go to the Peak District National Park nearly every weekend, with a heavy bag full of kit, I would tackle one hill after another and this would make me feel alive.

Not now though.

So how do I get the energy back? How do I get that balance back, stop work invading my mind when I'm off so it doesn't drain me as much as it does now?

Spinning is now of those things that helps. I can do it at home, sit down, relax and get into the rhythm of treddles and wool slipping through my fingers. It's such a meditative activity, on one hand allowing me to let go and on another keeping my focus from stress, sometime even anger. All the negativity comes out in the yarn - tangled and bumpy, and this reminds me - stay here in the moment. Just the same when I'm holding the camera.

Let's hope I'll find my balance soon - autumn is coming, my favourite season for photography.