We all know that stress is bad for us, but as single parents, it often comes with the territory. Trying to juggle working and being a mother takes a lot out of you and at the end of the day you find yourself overworked and exhausted. The times you are feeling the most stress are often the times when you are unable to find happiness, but that’s not all, when you are under an intense amount of stress your body kicks into action and produces cortisol. Cortisol isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it is what gives our body the fight-or-flight response when we are in dire circumstances. It gives us that boost of energy that we need in survival situations. However, most women’s stress isn’t due to physical survival; it has much more to do with day to day emotional endurance.
In these cases prolonged elevation in cortisol levels can have a particularly negative effect on your body. It leads to high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and diabetes. It can affect your ability to think clearly and in most cases causes fatigue and weight gain, particularly in the abdomen.
A recent study of 3000 women found that 50 percent of women felt like they did not have enough free time and 60 percent felt guilty for spending time on themselves. I’d be willing to bet had the women all been single mothers the numbers would have been much higher. We need time to de-stress, but so many of us are unwilling to take it, even when it is taking a significant toll on our bodies.
There are plenty of things to be stressed about as a single parent. It’s natural to be overwhelmed by everything that you have on your plate, but you have to take some time out for you; even if it is only ten minutes to quietly meditate after the kids are in bed, it can have a profound impact on your cortisol levels.
If you think that you are experiencing symptoms of prolonged elevation in your cortisol levels, such as fatigue and abdominal weight gain, talk to your doctor about doing a routine hormone level test.