I Don't Know How She Does It

I Don’t Know How She Does it is a movie about Kate Reddy, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, who experiences the struggle of trying to balance her full time job as a financial executive with her duties of being a mother. The demands of everyday life become a tug-of- war for her attention and, even though it creates much stress in Kate’s life, she is still able to come out on top of her career and accomplish her duties as a wife and mother; so she thinks. Kate’s job requires her to travel across country on a regular basis and this eventually leads her to neglect her title as wife and mother. Inevitably, Kate becomes exhausted from being pulled in many different directions and she gains awareness of her inability to balance everyday duties with her fulltime career and still have the energy to be a good wife and mother.

            This movie is an accurate depiction of how today’s society proceeds through the daily struggles of trying to balance success, at least our idea of it, and family obligations. Particularly for women, this problem is becoming more prevalent because more demands are currently being placed on women in our culture than ever before. There has been an increase in the number of women who excel at becoming executives and business owners, and yet they still try to meet the expectations and needs of the family in accordance to the social norms. This movie demonstrates very well what the book, Anxiety Cure, was trying to convey. People who obsessively overwhelm themselves while not taking the time to relax or rest amidst all the rush and confusion of everyday life, become more prone to anxiety and therefore, more likely to experience panic attacks or worse, panic anxiety disorder. The brain’s production of adrenaline is caused by constant high stress and will eventually diminish the brain’s natural tranquilizers. Thus, it becomes vital that people do not over exert themselves beyond their limits and take time out of their day to, not only spend time with their family, but for their selves as well.
           Kate’s relationship with her husband and children began to spiral out of control until Kate could no longer grip her reality. I believe this situation is more common than people will admit to and, even though it develops an obvious sign for change, some people’s reality may be hindered to the effects experienced from the adrenaline rush of today’s fast past world. I know of a few incidences where a marriage ends in divorce and parents lose sight of what is important for the family; this has even affected me directly. As John 14:1 states, “do not let your hearts be troubled; trust in God.” God does not condemn the clutter of our schedule, but the worry and stress that is created as a result of the clutter for it can eventually cause our relationship with Him to become hampered.