Pour faire suite à notre premier épisode qui portait sur la recherche du bien-être suite à la transition à la vie adulte, cette fois-ci c’est au tour de Annie et de Janis de nous parler de l’équilibre dans la vie adulte et des défis que cela peut représenter – le fameux metro-boulot-dodo mais aussi, entres-autres famille-Santé et loisirs, le tout. Au fils de l’épisode Annie et Janis tissent un lien clair entre les défis qu’elles ont vécus à l’enfance, les apprentissages et les outils qu’elles ont su développer ainsi que leur adaptation face à l’adversité en bas âge. Mur de réflexions pertientes pour les professionnels et les auditeurs en générale, il est ici question de fines stratégies pour maintenir l’équilibre tout en souligant les dynamiques particulières de ce processus tel qu’il peut être vécu par d’anciens jeunes placés à l’âge adulte. Cet épisode est en français. Je vous souhaite un bon épisode For our second episode, our members Annie and Janis share some of the challenges they face in achieving balance in adulthood—the infamous 9 to 5 grind, all the while trying to juggle family, health, leisure, and everything else. Throughout the episode, Annie and Janis draw a clear link between the challenges they experienced in childhood, the lessons they learned and their adaptations in the face of adversity. Rich in content relevant to professionals and listeners generally, this episode discusses subtle strategies for maintaining balance while highlighting the particular dynamics and challenges of this process as it may be experienced by former youth in care. This episode is in French. A translation of the full episode transcript is available on our podbean page: https://gabriellechapdelaine.podbean.com/ We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it. Transcript Translation: Annie Here we go. OK, ready. Hi, everyone. Today we're with Janis and Annie. We're going to talk about balance. So, let's start with the first question, which is, how do you define balance in your life? Janis For me, it's the key to happiness. It keeps me from going to extremes and gives me a certain amount of control over what's happening in my environment. Annie That's a very good answer. I would say that balance is found in all areas of our lives, whether it's family, sports, or work. I think you have to find a certain balance so you don't become, how can I put it, a workaholic, for example. Work takes up too much space and we don't have enough time to do other things. We have to find that balance to be mentally healthy. That's it. What helps you maintain balance, Janice? Janis One word: routine. For me, it's routine. Having a Google Calendar, always writing down what I have planned, what I have to do. I know it can be intense sometimes because it's always about preparation, always about the future, but at the same time, that's what allows me to stay in the present moment because I know what I have to do from week to week. It takes some of the pressure off. There's a kind of lightness after that. And also the fact that I went to school for a long time. I went all the way to university. So at some point, you have no choice but to be more organized, to make a schedule, a routine, and then stick to it to have a certain balance. Your classes mean you have a schedule to follow, and then you add sports into that. You see your family, your friends. It's like a good foundation for knowing where you're going. Annie But I agree that balance starts, I think, with school. We're in school from age 5 until you decide to finish CEGEP or university. And of course, for me too, a planner is really important. I still use the old-fashioned method, which is a paper planner. I prefer to write things down because it frees up my brain a little. It means I don't have to think all the time. I also had to start making to-do lists. I was fine with "today I'm going to do this and that..." Then I realized that making to-do lists stressed me out because I never got through them. And I realized that you never get through a to-do list. That's what a to-do list is for. But I've come up with a new slogan recently, and it's called "Just for today." So, I make a to-do list, and it's just for today, I'm going to do that, and that's going to be it, my accomplishments. That way, I can find a certain balance, even at work. OK, today I did that. When I leave work, I leave work behind, and tonight I focus on my family, my hobbies, my passions, and my son too, because he takes up a lot of space. That way, we find a certain balance in a life that moves very quickly. We don't live life at a thousand miles an hour every day, but we try to find balance in it. Janis So for you too, it's a bit about organization? Annie Well, it's really part of my life. If I don't have organization, I'd be a little lost, but it's not a big deal either. If, say, we said to Laurent, "Hey, we want to do this or that," and today we're not doing it, well, it's not a big deal. And I'm telling you, it's not a big deal, but in real life, it is a big deal. Every time, I'm like, "Oh, we didn't do this or that." But then, when I think about it, I'm like, "Oh yeah, it's not a big deal, today I accomplished at least this one thing, and tomorrow there will be another accomplishment, and it's not a big deal." Yeah, but it's okay, it's like letting go and seeing what you've accomplished and not what you haven't done. That's right, but it's a daily struggle in my life to let go of that kind of thing. Janis Absolutely, I think it's something a lot of people have to work on. Anie Yes, definitely. Next question. To maintain balance, we engage in activities such as sports, dance, or other pursuits. What has been most helpful to you in your journey toward balance? Janis Well, when I was in high school, I was in the dance program. So I was introduced to dance at a very young age. I often performed in shows and learned all kinds of dance styles. I did Afro, belly dancing, Latin dances. And it seems like that developed my sense of rhythm. It also helped me develop a good relationship with my body. You know, feeling more confident when I dance, liking my body more, well, that made me... Can we cut that? That made me... I would say that I've been dancing since I was a little girl. It's always been a part of my life. I started ballet when I was 5. After that, in high school, I focused on dance. Then when I was in college, I was in a Latin dance troupe. Then I did a show. And throughout it all, I realized that I had developed more self-confidence. I had a positive perception of my body because I liked how I moved. It also helps you connect with people, you know, you have dance partners, you discover new cultures because I did Latin dance, Afro dance, belly dancing. And then there's also the fact that I did a lot of weight training. And with weight training, you need to be a little disciplined because, okay, three times a week I'm going to the gym, and then you see the results as you go along. It takes a little time, but the fact that you see the changes in your body, the positive changes, gives you confidence, and it makes you want to go back and keep going. I like that, I like that. For me, personally, it's been in sports too, really. In high school, I enrolled in a sports program, with five or six physical education classes a week. Annie Sports help you maintain a certain balance, but above all, it's your mental health that comes into play. If you have good mental health, you're able to maintain a certain balance. For me, in sports, I would go to sports, and when I got into my sport, I would leave everything behind, whether it was problems or something else. I didn't think about my homework, I didn't think about what I had to do at home in the evening. I also think that sports helped me channel my frustration, whether it was playing soccer or thinking that the ball might be mean, but when you're frustrated, thinking that the ball is someone's head, it feels good to take out your frustration on the ball and not in real life. People don't know that. For me, the ball was like my mother. No one knows that. I know it. I play soccer with all my heart, and it's really perfect. It's been that way with soccer, hockey, and Zumba. I've always loved doing lots and lots of sports, and I still do today. I do them, but a little less with the routine of life. Janis But it's true, you were a Zumba instructor. I trained to become a Zumba instructor, but I never taught any classes because of the pandemic. So I haven't resumed that part of my life. Ah, so it's to be continued. To be continued, perhaps, in the coming years. Annie But that's interesting, it's a passion we have in common. Yes. Because we both love Zumba. Yes! Janis You even have a Zumba tattoo. Annie Yes! I have Zumba here. Having Zumba tattooed on my heart really helped me a lot, it freed me. Because when I went to my Zumba dance class, well, I went in and I lived the merengue to the fullest, and all the music that goes with it, but you know, I went in there and I lived like... It was a party. So it feels good to let go, even if... Everyone else is on the right and I'm on the left, it really doesn't matter. Janis Same thing for me, when I do my Zumba classes, I don't think about anything else. It's just the present moment. That's it. I just have fun. Annie Really, that's what's important, and that's what you need to take the time to do in life, which, once again, is moving too fast. Yeah, it helps to have balance. Balance! What about your passion, what helped you refocus? Hey, that's not the whole question. Do you have a passion that helped you refocus? Do you have a passion that helped you refocus? Janis Yes. It's very simple. It's two fairly minimalist things, I would say. Reading. I love to read, I love to immerse myself in
