How I Maintain a Work-Life Balance

up in this mentality of working. Working, You've got to work harder than everyone else, and working is important, but also resting is important. You guys, Hey, what up, y'all? And welcome to another episode of cheek Ease and Chill. I'm your host cheek eas and today's episode will focus on something I've been wanting to talk about for a while, work life balance. I'm going to be sharing with you some of the things I do to keep a healthy balance and some other things I know I need to

improve on. So no need to waste any more time. This is cheek Ease and Chill. If you're like me, you probably have a hard time switching off when you're not working. My typical day looks like it changes because I travel so much, but let's talk about when I'm home. When I'm home, I like to wake up around seven seven thirty. I used to wake up at six, you guys, but now I'm waking up around seven seven thirty. The

first thing I like to do is thank God. For me, it's super important to just not look at my phone. There are days when I look at my phone before doing anything else, like I'll get a message or something, or I'll see an email and I respond to that before I do my prayers in the morning. And when I do that, when the first thing I do is look at my phone, I feel like my day is just more hectic and just stressful. So for me, it's important to wake up. I thank God. I turn on

my meditation music. I usually go on Apple Music or Spotify, or I'll just put something like Singing Bowls or Positive Energy or Zen music, and I just put it on and I liked my incense, and I do my prayer. For me, it's important to know that there's something bigger and stronger and this force that's just much bigger than me. And that's why I like to get on my knees and I like to just meditate and just kind of dedicate my day, and I always say blessed the hours

ahead to just help me get through the day. Because we all live, something always happens, like you just never know, like you, there's always things that happened unexpectedly. So for me, it's important. It's important to do that the first thing I do. And if I have time that day, which I usually do, I make time. I like to start my working day around nine ten o'clock. I like to work out some cardio, some weights. Might try to work

out anywhere from three to five times a week. I used to do six, you guys, and but make sure you're resting one day. It's important. We're talking about balance, so it's good to work out, but always like have one day where you just don't do anything, and I mean like strenuous, you know. So usually I take off Sundays from working out, whether I'm traveling or not. I like to always have a hotel that has some type

of cardio machine so that I can sweat. It's important to sweat and to release toxins because releasing toxins helps you with stress levels, helps you not to get sick, it helps you lose weight obviously, So just to sweat and release toxins. For me is important and it's helped me so much so anyways, that's working out for me. Those two things are kind of like I'm giving myself love. I am putting myself first. I am centering myself in the morning. I am connecting with my spirituality. I am

getting my body to move to sweat. Those are gifts that I feel like I give myself and it becomes a lifestyle and it becomes a part of your routine. I think that the most successful people are those that have routines that wake up at a certain time. For me, also, another thing that's important is as soon as I wake up, I drink water. I always have a water bottle next to my bed, and I take that water bottle into my restroom because in my restroom is where I meditate

and I'm constantly drinking water. Like the first hour of my day, I start with just drinking pure water like it I don't like get cold. It's just room temperature water, and it's part of my routine. It's kind of like I'm feeding my soul. It's kind of like watering a plant, you know what I mean. Like that to me is just I don't know it's important anyways, So that's what I do. Those things are super important. Doesn't matter where

I am in the world. I always make time for that, even in a hotel, in a corner anywhere, just to center myself and put myself in God's hands. As far as work goes, it's always different. Right now, I'm starting to make changes in my life where I want to take off Sundays and Mondays from everything. If I have to travel from like a show and get home on a Sunday, cool, But I don't want to do anything else on a Sunday or Monday because I want to dedicate it to my home because those things are important

to me. I've learned that when I'm working too much and my home isn't situated and it isn't clean, and things aren't its place, it really messes with me. I don't know if you guys understand me, but if my bed isn't made, if my room is a mess, if my car is a mess, places that I spend most of my time, if they are unorganized and they're a mess, I feel like emotionally I'm everywhere. So that's why I was like, I just made the decision, and I told

my manager and I told, oh me, my assistant. You guys, I need to take off Sunday and Monday, and I need to be at home. I want to cook. I want a grocery shop. I want to wash my own clothes. It's important for me because I'm so particular, so anal whatever you wanna call it, I've I've learned now with age that I am very particular. I want things done a certain way, and if they're not done a certain way, then I'm upset. So I'd rather just do it myself. So I like to wash my clothes. I like the

grocery shop, I want to cook. I want to just end my week, which is Sunday, ending my week the right way with myself in my home, and starting my week which is Monday, in my home, and just setting the tone of what the week is going to look like, because again, my week changes so much. I could be super busy or I could have less busy days, but there's always something to do in the life of chiggies,

to be honest, So that's what I'm doing. I just started implementing that recently, having those days off so that I could, you know, like I said, set the tone for the week and figure out what I'm doing, because if it's not phone interviews, it's interviews on zoom. I have a bunch of meetings right now with the album that just came out. We have shows, so I have to prepare myself for my shows, and it's always different.

But I think, no matter how busy I am, it is important for me to know that my home is in place. I want to have quality time with my partner, with my dogs, you know what I mean. Like I want them to know that I'm not just gonna like

you know that they're my responsibility. It's weird because I was bothering me for a while, you guys, because I was so busy that I felt I was neglecting Buncho, Like I felt like he probably didn't feel like he was my son, like he probably felt, oh, he's only son, or he was always at the hotel, at the dog hotel, and it was bothering me. And I was like, wait, like I don't know, I don't even know how to explain it, but it was bothering me, and I wasn't

comfortable and I felt very out of balance. And those things are important to me. So I think it's important to check yourself and to just make mental notes and write things down to bi. Okay, what makes me happy. What makes me happy is giving my partner quality time, giving my dog quality time, spending time with him, for him to know he's my responsibility, that I love him. Going to church, and I don't go every Sunday the way I used to you guys, but I just say, Okay,

I'll try to go once every month. Spending time with my siblings, like we try to do it once a month as well, Like we'll meet somewhere and we'll all go to brunch or something like I go visit Johnny's grandma, his dad's mom, and she cooks for us, and those things just kind of for me. Help me keep my feet on the ground, help me just stay like grounded. You know. It's doing things like that where it's like, wait, these are the important things in life. Yes, work is important.

You know. Everyone's just constantly chasing the dollar, you know what I mean, and now really focusing on what's important, you know, and not really focusing on the moment. And I think that for a while I was doing that where I was just like so engrossed in work, and I'm like, I have to just keep going. I have to pay the bills, and yes, I have to pay the bills, but I also have to make sure that my heart and my mind and my spirit are centered and that I'm well in order to still have that

energy to go out and work. Does that make sense? So I always put those things first. And that's what I feel like is balanced. And believe me, you're always going to be out of balance, like in some point of your life. Like you know, you just have to catch yourself and rail yourself back in and say, okay, wait a second. I kind of feel myself getting out of balance. It's normal because you start getting used to

just the routine of life. The important thing is catching yourself and saying, okay, wait a second, let me take a few steps back, center myself, recenter myself. You know, I think it's important. If I think about it, the most stressful part of my day, if I'm being honest, it would have to be anything that's work related. And the reason I say this is because I'm the type of person that wants to give my all to anything that I'm doing. Like I feel like if I'm going

to do it. If I'm going to start it, I need to finish it, and I need to finish it strong.

It could be anything. So for a long time, it was like, oh my god, I have to work because obviously so many people expect so much for me, and I have so many different businesses that I feel like I've done that to myself, you guys, where it's like I I put myself in these situations where it seems easy at the time, and I'm like, oh, yeah, I want to get myself into this, and I say yes to certain things at the moment because it sounds great

and it's a great business opportunity and great business move without considering the fact that I have so much on my plate already. That's another thing that I've learned this year, where it's like, Okay, it's okay to say no to certain things because I don't want to disappoint any body. I'll say yes, but then I end up disappointing myself.

So I think for me, it's I've learned a little more to say no this year, even to my management, even to certain people, family members in my life, friends, whatever, because I need to really just do what makes me truly happy and at peace, you know. So going back to what stresses me out, I think it it would

have to be work. It would have to be where it's like I want to obviously have responsibilities at work and I have to get things done, but I also want to spend time with my partner, you know what I mean, Because yes, Emilio is busy and he's doing this thing or whatever, but I'm a lot busier, you know what I mean. So finding that balance of I have to do this video. Sometimes it's stuff that I have to do videos for, like be flawless and push

certain products, and it's like he's home already. He gets home and he's waiting for me, and I feel sometimes like a little pressured. I'm like, oh my god, I have to give him time. But I've learned to also speak my mind and let him know, hey, this is my job. This is part of what makes me happy be And I think for me that was like the most stressful thing, even like a couple of months ago, until I just spoke and I told him, Hey, I

need you to understand. And I think it was just in my mind because he's like, hey, I'm totally fine, Like don't worry about me, And I think I was just creating things in my mind, you know. But once I spoke about it and I let him know, then it helped out the situation. I think sometimes we make up all these stories in our mind and we don't talk about it, and it makes us angry and more stressed out when simply all you gotta do is talk

and then it's gone, you know what I mean. Right now, I think my biggest stress is making sure that I'm not so busy that I forget to eat. Sometimes I forget to like feed myself and really sit down, you guys and enjoy my food. Like sometimes I'm in the Russian I'm working and eating and it's like, no, like you need to sit down, bless your food and say God, thank you for this food. Eat, give yourself a good twenty minutes thirty minutes to eat slowly, enjoy your food,

and go back to work. I grew up, you guys in this mentality of working. Working. You gotta work, you gotta work harder than everyone else, And that's awesome, that's cool. Yes, I want to show that to my children, show that to my siblings. Working is important, but also resting is important, you guys, taking time to sit down and enjoy your food and drink your water. And now I've learned to be like, Okay, I'm on the computer, I'm doing some work.

I'm there for like three hours straight and then I go outside and I take a breath of fresh air, and I'm like, I I realigned myself, and I'm like, Okay, when they say stop and smell the roses, that's what it means. It's like, yes, you could be busy doing your thing, but stop and thank God for the sky, for the flowers, for your dog, for the plants in your house. I don't know anything, stop and smell the roses.

And I come from a background from a family that it's like, you know, to make it, you need to suffer to make it in this world. And I had that mentality for so long, and guys, my mom was like that. My mom didn't know how to vacation. My mom didn't know how to rest. I mean, we would be at dinner and she was on her phone and I would have arguments with her. I'm like, Mom, you're with your kids, you're not here. Put your phone away.

And we started implementing this thing that when mom was home, we would all put our phones in the center of the table and enjoy each other because you never know what can happen. And you go out to restaurants, you guys, and you look around and everyone is on their phone. They're either taking fucking pictures or video supposed on Instagram and all this stuff, and they're not talking and not

having conversations. And that's what I mean. It's like everyone's all about the hustle and bustle, and this whole thing was just like wait a second, like chill out, put your phone to the side and listen, you know what I mean. And my mom had that, and I learned through my mentor, and he's the one that two years ago said you need to rest. Your responsibility is also in what you do is to rest. There's no shame

in resting. And I had shame about resting, you guys, Like I was like, no, Like I'd be on vacation and I feel guilty. I'd be sitting on my couch for a little bit and I'd feel guilty, and I know if Mom was here, I would have to be doing something. Like my mom, it was hard for her to just sit down and enjoy something and enjoy a movie, you know what I mean. Even when we were at the movie, she'd be on her phone answering emails and stuff like that. And I want to change that in

my life. My Grandpa's the same way, Like I want to work, yes, but also make some time in my schedule. Now I'll plan out my vacations and I look forward to that. I'm like, Okay, I'm gonna have a vacation for my birthday. I'm gonna have a vacation for the end of the year. And the rest of the year, I'll work and Okay, I'm gonna work Tuesday through Saturday, and I'm going to rest on Sunday and Monday. Because it is important, you guys, to recharge your batteries to

regenerate yourself. It's something that I've had to learn and it's been hard, but I really recommend you guys doing these things that I just mentioned because it changes your life completely. Now I can go to dinner and not have to post a video of my food. I'm really just enjoy going the moment with whomever I'm with, and it's not about just what I'm gonna put on Instagram. Now I keep more things to myself in my heart, in my mind of nice moments, or I take pictures,

but I don't post them. It's just for me. Before I used to share everything you guys, and I just felt like it became this. It was a little annoying to be honest to people. I think around me and talking about emails, and I'm the type of person that needs to have everything clean in my phone. I need to not see emails, like I don't even like to see one one an opened one. But in the morning, I don't look at my emails. I look at them like after I've done everything, my personal things, my praying,

my working out, and that's my personal time. Now it's work time, and I'll get into my emails and I'll start responding. I usually start responding to my emails around nine or ten, and I try to stop at a certain time. There are times it's not all the time, but I I sometimes answer them super late, like if I'm really busy throughout the day, then right before i go to bed, I'll go ahead and respond to two emails because I don't like to leave him there for

a long time. I need to get better actually on my emails you guys, I really do. I like to just clean them out like the junk mill, and then I just leave the other ones and open. I'm like, okay, I'll get to them right now. But I do want to get better at responding a little quicker to my emails. But when I'm in bed, I'll just put my phone to the side and I just focused. I like to just spend time with my partner with the media and like we'll watch like a show and it's just to unwind,

you know what I mean. And our thing is this is exclusive information for my podcast because I've never said this, but I have really turned to marijuana, you guys, to sleep to relax. So I just put my phone to the side. Like him and I are the same, and it is something that he's taught me to be honest. He's like, can we just have like the last hour of our day to ourselves where you're not on your phone, you're not on Instagram. And I'm like, yeah, you're right.

He's like, because it's important to me to spend time with you. You've been busy. I've been busy all day. And I'm like, you're right, So I don't turn off my phone. I try not to turn off my phone. You guys, I'll get back to the week thing right now. But I try not to turn off my phone because in the back of my mind, and this is something I have to get better at. I want to have

it on just in case my siblings need me. I feel like, if Mikey something happens, because Mikey is the type of guy that likes to be out late at night, or Johnny sometimes drives all the way to San Diego, like he has friends in San Diego, and I'm like, what if they call me and my phone's off? And I just started thinking all these things. So I want to get better at that because I trust so much in the universe and in God that I'm like, you know, like I can't worry so much all the time about

my siblings. But the truth is that I leave it on just in case they call me. I'll ignore text messages, but I'm like, if it's important and someone calls me and I turned off my phone on, do not disturb, Like it would drive me nuts if I knew if something happens and I didn't respond, you know what I mean. But I have to just trust a little bit more you know. But anyways, so what I've been doing is put my phone on the side. We watched the show.

We smoke a little joint, a little blunt, a little marijuana. It's a lot better than leaping pills, you guys. And my personal opinion, okay, it's helped me out. I'll do melotonin once in a while, but I'm really enjoying smoking a little bit of weed. Unwinding and I have such a good night's rest, you guys. If I have a headache, if my neck hurts, if I'm stressed out like I

forget about everything, of course I say my prayers. I always get on my knees, you guys, before going to sleep, getting on my knees and just thanking God for the day. Even if I'm a little bit high, I'm like, God, you know what's up. You know you made this herb. It's here for us because you made it so Him and I we have a connection. That's part of my spiritual gangster situation. So even if I'm high, it doesn't matter. I'll get on my knees on my God, thank you.

And then I go to sleep, you guys, and I feel so good. I wake up and I'm more energized. It's been like a part of my like routine for the past I don't know, I want to say eight months or so. That's like my thing with Emilia. We smoke a little bit and we just chill and I sleep like a baby. So you guys know, I've mentioned it a lot on my social media on Instagram. I'm

all about self care. I feel like self care is self love, taking care of yourself, whether it be like with a skincare regimen or like I said in the morning, drinking some water, feeding yourself. You know, I feel like it's important for the first thing that goes into your body for it to be water. I feel like it just starts your day off right. I don't know, maybe it's just in my mind, but anyways, I used to

do all with lion. Now after my water, I'll do like a little tea, green tea with like collagen and fiber in it, like all in one. It's tastes so delicious, you guys, And I just feel like I'm just doing something good for my body. So anyways, you guys are well aware of that. I'm always sharing it. I'm all about taking care of yourself because it's a form of loving yourself, and loving yourself is the only way that you'll be able to love anyone else. So anyways, part

of what I do I already told you guys. At the end of the day, I get on my knees, I thank God, I pray. I have a little fountain you guys that I just purchased a couple of months ago on Amazon. That it's just like a little table fountain that just is just go with them, and that helps me relax. I don't know if it's because I'm a water sign I'm cancer you guys. So I feel like water just relaxes me, and I don't know, I recommend it. I have a better sleep as well, and

also like sleep music helps me. And one thing that I like to do weekly at the end of the week, usually on Mondays. I do it actually either Sunday or Monday, all the water, all my plants in the house. I feel like a plant is like a dog, if that makes any sense. That I feel like anyone that loves animals and takes care of animals and humans and like plants, I feel like it's a different type of person because they're hopeless. They can't water themselves. They can't be themselves.

But for me, it's important to like water my plants and talk to them. Call me weird. I'm a plant lady. I'm a crazy plant lady. I'll sit there and I name my plans, I give them water, and I feel like it's a part of I'm caring for them, but I'm also caring for myself. It's like a relaxing thing that I've just discovered, like the past year, where I sit there and I'm talking to them. I'm like, oh my baby, like I love you. Like I'll cut their hair.

I I it's like if I'm cutting their hair, but I'm just you know, cutting their little like dry spots. And it helps me so much. It's helped me like relax, you guys, And I don't know. I mean, if it's watering your grass, if it's doing something like without you even knowing that you're doing, it's like, okay, yeah, it's my lawn, but in reality, it's a living thing, your grass, the plants. Like I just feel like you're doing something good for the earth, for yourself, for them because they're living.

Is that weird for me to say? But anyways, it's helped me so much, so I recommend that as well. Get yourself a little plant. Start with one and talk to it and and water it, and it feels like you're doing something good for someone because they are someone. I sound like freaking, I felt, I sound like crazy, lady write out, but whatever. I don't know. If there's anyone out there that understands me. I'm sure there is. I cannot be the only one. Guys, if you're listening,

you guys probably think I'm crazy. But buy yourself a damn plant. Put it next to your like sink in the morning, and water it and it just it makes you feel good. Anyways, as to hear myself speak, you guys, I feel like and it feels good. Oh you guys. One thing I don't know if you guys do this a lot of people. For a long time, I did this. I would put on forensic File because I love forensic files, and I would sleep with it in the background, and

my mom would too. I learned it from my mom. Actually, there are studies that say that it's the worst thing that we can do for ourselves is sleep with the TV on, even if it's on me. You guys, the frequencies or whatever you want to call it, that come out of the television. It's not good for our bodies and our mind and our brain. That's why even sleeping with your phone too close to you is not good. People sleep with their phone under their pillow or on

the bed. It's always good to keep it, like they've told me to keep it in another room, like in the bathroom or something. I can't. I haven't gotten that good, you guys. I want to get better at it, but I leave it like it's on a little table away from my face, away from my body, because all that radiation and stuff is not good for us. So I stopped sleeping, you guys, with my TV on because for a long time it was my baby's sleeping music. And I stopped doing that. Like now, I try to just

turn it off. I try not to forget because all that stuff like it gets into your brain and you can have bad nightmares and it's just all kinds of things. You guys should look into it. Google it and you'll see what I'm talking about. And ever since I stopped doing it, I feel a lot better. I feel more energized. The next day. I just feel like for the lack of a better word, cleaner. So yeah, I don't sleep with my TV on anymore. I like candles on. I

like a nightlight. I love nightlights, you guys. I don't really love the dark. You know. We'll talk about that in another episode where I don't like the dark, but I like to have a nightlight and all those little things like the little fountain, the little sleep music, a little nightlight. It just gives you, like a peaceful like night's rest, a little bit of weed if you want, if you know, if your doctor recommends it, it helps you sleep. And I feel like since I've been doing

all that, I feel more energetic, I feel happier. So, guys, I've gotten this question a lot where people ask me, like how do I sleep? Like Becky said, so it depends. It depends. I'm very much a pajama girl, especially during the winter. I like like cute little matching pajamas, like I love pjs, I love robes. I'm very like much that girl. My siblings always for Christmas give me like they always know, like pajamas or bantus, which are slippers.

But anyways, it just depends. There are times when I'm feeling something sexy, like if I'm wearing something sexy is because we're about to get down, you know what I mean, Like Emilia already knows it's that night you feel me? And sometimes I just I don't really like to sleep naked anymore. Before I used to sleep naked like a lot, But now that the dogs are around, I don't know. I started like because right basically sleeps with us, like r use a little puppy, like the little small puppy,

so he sleeps on the bed. So come, okay you no, No, I don't feel comfortable. It's weird. I don't feel comfortable sleeping naked, but sometimes I will, depending if it's really hot. But I usually like to keep my air conditioner. I like to keep the room cool, like at seventy two, sometimes sixty nine, sixty nine or seventy two. Those are like my two numbers, Like I like my air conditioner at but I guess I would be warm. I would say pajama girl, and then the other I would probably

say I'm either naked or something sexy. But I guess I am that girl that wears likes to wear pajamas. And I used to have a silk pillowcase, because that's really good for your hair, for the health of your hair, for your skin, you guys. I used to and I actually should get one, but it doesn't go like with the decor of my room. So maybe I should get a pillow that's just for that and hide it. But they make me hot. I feel like the silk makes me hotter. It makes me like warm while I'm asleep.

But it is very good. It's good for your hair and for your skin, you guys. But yeah, I just wanted to share that because you know, I have gotten that question a lot. People are curious. I guess to know if I like to sleep naked. Alright, guys, So that'll do for today's episode. I hope that you guys enjoyed it and learned a little sutten and remember that improving your work and life balance isn't easy or simple. But the sooner you discover the importance of it, the

happier you will be. Before I let you go, I want to leave you with this Monday motivational quote. If another can easily anger you, it is because you are off balance with yourself. Let me say it again. If another can easily anger you, it is because you are off balance with yourself. Damn, let that sink in. Thank you guys so much for listening and for all the support you have given my podcast. I'm so grateful. Tell everyone about it, your mom, your thea, your brother, everyone,

to all your friends. I love you guys so much. Next Monday, here on Cheeks and Chill Osamo. Do you need advice on love, relationships, health imas. I'm so excited to share with you that my Cheekies and Chill podcast will have an extra episode drop each week. I'll be at swering all your questions. Just leave me a voice message. All you have to do is go to speak pipe dot com, slash Cheeks and Chill Podcast and record your questions.

I can't wait to hear from you. This is a production of I Heart Radio and Michel Dura podcast Network. Follow us on Instagram at Michael Dura Podcasts and follow me chick ees that's c h i q U i s. For more podcasts from My Heart, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.