I have found for myself that what keeps me from feeling sorry for myself or getting lost in a sea of single parent self-pity is to simply remember and remind myself that there ARE people who are having a harder time of things. For some reason, it seems to be human nature to get stuck in that “grass is greener” mentality and think that everyone has it better. But that is definitely NOT the case, and there are plenty of people who deserve our compassion and understanding as they have it far worse than we do.
You may have heard that often times taken the focus off yourself and actually considering and thinking about other people can be an extremely healthy move. It is the main reason that doing for others during the holiday season—especially if you are having a hard time yourself can be so wonderful and therapeutic. I think it can be so easy for us to feel isolated and to start to think that we are the only ones who are having such a rough time. That just is not true and single parent or not, there are so many people out there who have it much worse!
I am not encouraging you to try to dig up dirt on other people, or to spend time thinking about all the trials and horrors going on in the world, it just more a matter of taking stock and realizing that things could be worse and are worse for many—this is why we can make a slight shift in our thinking and realize all the pieces of our lives that are going well. Sure, things might be tough, your life might not be going the way you had intended or the way you would like. But, there is the opportunity for improvement and it really could be a great deal worse.
Also: Family Counseling–Feeling Vulnerable
There Will be Days When the Exhaustion is Unbearable