5 Tips When Struggling Through Life As a Single Parent

 

Being a parent is such a rewarding experience, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with its difficulties and challenges -- especially when you’re living as a single parent. You’re often forced to act as both the mother and father in most situations, which isn’t the easiest thing in the world.

 

If this is something you live with every single day, don’t worry -- you’re not alone. Millions of people all around the world are in your same shoes. Whether it’s due to a death, the other parent walking out on you, or a divorce, being a single parent is more common than you think.

 

At the end of the day, we all want nothing but the best for our children -- no matter what situation they’re being put in. Although it might be more difficult for some, this is something every parent can achieve when they have the right guidance, direction, and support on a daily basis.

 So, are you struggling as a single parent?

Being a single parent takes certain sacrifices and means you’ll need to make a slew of difficult decisions. It can be hard trying to give your child the best life possible, while also making sure you live a quality life of your own. Despite the challenges, it is 100% possible and you got this!

Whether you’re going through a difficult time lately or have been struggling with your role as a parent for years, there are several things you can do to receive the help you need. That’s why we’re going to detail five of our most prominent tips when navigating your life as a single parent.

 

1.    Surround Yourself With Support

One of the greatest things about having a child is being able to raise that child together with your spouse. Unfortunately for a single parent, you either don’t have any support or have limited support from your ex-partner. As you can imagine, this makes raising the child more difficult.

 

While you might not have the support from your ex-partner, that doesn’t mean you should raise your child without support. In fact, every parent should have a strong, trustworthy, and reliable support group by their side every step of the way -- especially single parents just like yourself.

 

This support group can include just about anyone you trust. Family, friends, co-workers, parents of your child’s friends, like-minded individuals, other single parents, life coaches, therapists, and anyone else you can count on when things are difficult. Either way, a support group is essential.

 

2.    Make Time for Your Children

Being a single parent means you’re going to be one busy individual. You have a lot you need to accomplish each day and you won’t have the help from your partner that every parent needs -- which is very important when raising a child. Time won’t be on your side as a single parent.

With that said, you can’t let it get in the way of spending quality time with your children. It’s very essential that you make time for them on a daily basis, that way they get the attention they need from the one person they can look up to inside the household. Don’t let that time go to waste.

This is where you can use the child’s nap time to your advantage. Write out a list of things you need to get done around the home while your child is napping or at school. This will give you more time to spend with the child when they’re awake and need that quality attention from you.

 

3.    Make Time for Yourself

While a single parent needs to make sure there’s enough time in the day to give to their child, they also need to make sure they’re making time for themselves each day. After all, single parents deserve to have a life, too! It’s very important when living a quality and fulfilling life.

If you use nap time to get things done around the home, using the time when your child is at school or at a friend’s house is the perfect opportunity to make time for yourself. You can also invest in a babysitter or have the child’s grandparents babysit so you can have some fun time.

Either way, it’s important that you have hobbies and interests throughout the day. Without some sort of passion outside of your children, it’ll be easy to feel stuck in life. You don’t want to give up on yourself. If you feel you need to in order to make time for your children, change is needed.

 

4.    Stick to Your Daily Routine

Having a firm daily routine can be extremely helpful when living as a single parent. Like we mentioned above, single parents live a busy life. They always have something to do or have somewhere they need to be. While it might be chaotic, it helps if it’s an organized chaos.

From the moment you wake up until the moment you lay down for bed, try to have as much of your day lined up and on a set schedule. Try and do all your daily tasks at the same time of the day each day. In fact, do the same with your weekly and monthly tasks that need to be done.

When you have a daily routine, it makes everything a lot easier. You not only know what you have to do, but you know exactly how much time you have to do it. In addition to that, you can easily find spots in the day to give time to your children and give yourself some free time.

 

5.    Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

We mentioned the importance of having a solid support group behind you, but sometimes a single parent needs help beyond what their support group can provide. This is especially true if your mental health is suffering and you’re finding it hard to live a quality and fulfilling life daily.

No single parent should have to live with poor mental health. Not only does it take the quality out of your own life, but it can start to put a strain on your child’s life. After all, having poor mental health often results in you not being able to give 110% to those that mean the most.

If you’re struggling to find your way as a single parent and need professional help getting your life back on track, speaking to a mental health professional can do wonders for you and your future. They’re ready and willing to help identify problem areas and find solutions for them.

 

Therapy Can Give You the Guidance You Need

Being a single parent is supposed to be a rewarding experience that you never grow tired of. There will be times of strife and you will face an enormous amount of challenges each day, but that’s what makes it so rewarding -- for you, your child, and anyone else in your support group.

If you’re facing a different experience as a single parent and are starting to lose that sense of quality life, reach out to a mental health professional. For those that don’t know where to start, you can always contact our good friends over at BetterHelp to get started with the process

Mental Health Awareness Series with BetterHelp

This article was written as part of a series of collaboration with BetterHelp, an online portal that provides direct-to-consumer access to mental health services. With Covid19 on the rise and the impact on family, we feel that the need to create awareness on Mental Health is important to the community. Do share this post with your love ones.