Yahoo Finance Ashley Graham Dismisses the Idea of Work-Life Balance and Chooses 'Joy and Laughter' Instead
Ashley Graham/Instagram
Ashley Graham isn't chasing the idea of having it all.
The mom of three, 34, opened up in a new Shape interview about the difficulty of a work-life balance and what she strives for instead.
Graham, who shares 5-month-old twin sons Malachi and Roman and 2-year-old son Isaac, with husband Justin Ervin, candidly shares that "balance is bulls—t" and there are certain areas in her life she wants to prioritize.
"We have a love of laughter in our home, and I think that laughter is the missing link when it comes to medicine and living a healthy lifestyle," she says.
Graham is realistic about the fact that each part of her life will get different amounts of attention at different times, but her personal goal is to always make time for "joy and laughter."
"Eating clean, healthy foods and moving my body and that kind of stuff seems secondary if you're living in a sad home or a stressful place. Joy and laughter are big deals in our family."
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As she raises three little ones, Graham explains that carving out time for joy makes it easier to go through harder times. "We're not happy all the time every day, but it's just like these little pockets of your day that you should hopefully be able to smile and just have a little joy and a little laughter," she says.
Graham, Ervin, and their three boys are also about to find joy in time outside together. "Being out in nature with them is just so much fun," she says.
Earlier this month, Graham shared a message with moms about bodies after birth while showcasing her own progress.
"Posting this video for all the mamas who haven't and may never 'bounce back' and for anyone who needs to be reminded that your body is beautiful in its realest form," she began in the caption encouraging her fans to love their body in all its phases.
"This is my strong, five-month-postpartum-been-pregnant-for-two-years body. as it is. in hopes to further normalize ALL bodies in every and any stage of life," she added below the clip flaunting her white underwear.
The model and entrepreneur welcomed her twin boys on Jan. 7 in a near-death birthing experience which she previously detailed in Glamour. In a personal essay, she described losing "liters of blood" and not being able to walk for a week after.
The supermodel shared more about her life as a new mom-of-three in May, telling PEOPLE that she felt "it's the right thing to do to share a part of me and what I've had to go through –— with either breastfeeding, or pregnancy and postpartum hair loss, whatever it may be."
She documented her lactation issues on Instagram earlier this year, expressing how learning to breastfeed for the second time was "overwhelming." Despite having an easier process with her firstborn Isaac, she said she had a tougher time with her youngest.
"I feel grateful that I had a lactation nurse, who was also my Doula, work with me and she was so calm, and kind and patient with me, and really helped me perfect it," Graham said. "It took me a good three weeks to really, really get there."
