Stress can seem like a normal state for a single parent—we often chat here about ways to decompress and try to manage time constraints and stress, but I have discovered that one of the best stress-busters is appreciation. Allowing myself to feel thankful, blessed, grateful—however you would describe it—seems to drive the stress away.
Call it counting your blessings, or maybe it is something as simple as appreciating a particularly sunny and beautiful day—for some reason, it seems to me that stress and tension and appreciation just cannot live in the same body. You may not be able to completely eradicate stress from your life, but zapping it with doses of thankfulness can be a great way to stay in the realm of the positive instead of giving in to negative thinking.
You might not be able to be actually grateful for the situation that is causing you stress—that can be a big stretch. You can, however, find other things to appreciate. For example, you get to work and are met with some stressful expectations—well, maybe the coffee is good, or it is a beautiful day, or you have photos of your kids on your desk and you can generate some appreciation for that. Maybe it is something as simple as getting a good night’s sleep or having a tasty lunch to look forward to. Whatever you can find to be thankful for, hold on to that thought and nurture it—and it can help to send stress packing.
While I do think that exercise and plenty of sleep (as well as a healthy diet) can help to combat stress, when you need a little zap in the middle of a stressful situation, find something you can feel appreciation for and cling to that—it may make things seem much less stressful.