Battling The Feelings Of Insecurity

03/10/2022

Motherhood is probably one of the best things a woman can experience during her adulthood, but it also comes with long time responsibilities. How does an athlete who travels a lot for competitions and training deal with that? What do people think of that lifestyle? Enchante Gallardo shares her views on the subject.

Am I Selfish?

So far I haven't had anyone tell me that "oh, Enchante, you're being so selfish towards your kids, taking these unnecessary risks. What are you trying to accomplish? A lot of the time it's actually quite the opposite. People think that it's really cool that I'm still doing something that I love despite having children. And I think in a way it shows people that having kids doesn't mean that you can't still do what you love.

But I would say that that is something that I've questioned myself and that has potentially been an insecurity is, you know, caring about what other people think and thinking, "oh, maybe they're judging me because, oh, why is she going off to competitions"? Like "she should be at home with her kids". And I love my kids and I miss them so much. And they're amazing and hilarious. You know, my family, my mom, and their dad have been super supportive through all of this. And I wouldn't be able to do this without their support. I know when I'm away, they're in a good place, they're safe, they're happy. And that's really important to me because if I didn't have that support, of course, I wouldn't be doing this. So I feel really fortunate and really blessed in that aspect. And yeah, I wanna get to the point to bring them with me on these trips.

Dealing With The Internal Struggle

I think that has been somewhat of a struggle because I have faced moments where I've even questioned myself and I'm like, "am I being too selfish in doing that"? And sometimes I ask other people because it can be an emotional topic. Like, should I be a better mother? And I'm always striving to do that. And you know, in my daily life, I'm constantly striving to be a better person for myself, for other people, for my kids, and my family. I think a lot of the times we beat ourselves up and people are always gonna say things and it's kind of pushing through that regardless of what people say or the opinions that people formulate about you. I like separating from that and knowing what you're knowing and trusting in yourself. And that you're doing the best that you can in life.

I think everyone goes through these feelings of insecurity. You look at someone who looks like they have their life together. But then when you really get to know someone, everybody is going through something. It's okay not to always have your s**t together, but that's the importance and the point of the sense of community. And supporting each other. You go through moments where you have extreme highs and everything's great. And then, you know, it's almost like a calm down.

Some people think that you go to college and get a job, you get married and you have kids and you settle down in this house and you have to create this, this picturesque life, you know, or follow this bullet point or this linear path basically. But I don't think life is like that. I definitely admire mothers who dive and are able to do that because it's not easy balancing training, being an athlete along with being a mother. It takes a lot of energy. So I think this just shows how strong and powerful women are.

Meet Enchante