The one lesson I’ve learned from life
Edith Bowman
Edith Bowman, 44, has been a tV and radio broadcaster for more than 20 years. She’s married to musician tom Smith, with two sons, Rudy, nine, and Spike, five.
IT’S NOT SELFISH TO LOOK AFTER YOURSELF
I’ve never taken my health for granted, having had a few scares over the years. I suffered from epilepsy as a child. Then, in 2004, doctors discovered I have a bicuspid valve (a two-way valve rather than a three-way valve), which means that my heart has to work harder.
I got ill and it was purely from pushing myself too hard. I was working a mad number of hours and then just crashing into bed. All I did was work and sleep. I remember my mum saying: ‘This isn’t like you, please see a doctor.’ I did and they discovered a heart murmur.
It was pretty frightening. But I have to see a specialist for a check-up only every two years now because there’s no deterioration, which is brilliant. My heart specialist said: ‘You shouldn’t change your lifestyle, just look after yourself.’ I run, do yoga and Pilates, and swim. But I only recently started to understand how important it is to find time for myself, mentally and physically. everybody around me reaps the benefits.
I took my kids to europe recently to see my husband on tour and didn’t take running shoes as I wouldn’t have had time. For a week I didn’t have that little window to just do what I wanted, and I really noticed the difference. When we came home, I felt like I was in a bit of a fog. I just needed to take a deep breath and get my head above water.
It has made me take a step back and concentrate on what’s important. I practise mindfulness and recognise that sometimes it’s OK just to feel sad.
On Mother’s Day, I woke up and felt really down. I had nothing to be sad about. I went for a run and spoke to my husband about it. In the end, I just let myself be, rather than getting worried or feeling guilty. You just need to recognise and accept what you’re feeling.
Women are the best fixers in the world, but we need to look after ourselves, too. Recently my nine-year-old asked: ‘Mum, have you heard of multi-tasking?’ I was like: ‘Have I? That’s my life!’