Tag Archives: mental health

Fun is Okay for a Single Parent Too

I think many of us single parents work so hard to distance ourselves from the stereotype of the irresponsible, different-date-every-night, financially precarious single parent that we take on a very serious and determined demeanor. In fact, we can get so focused on putting family first and rising to the challenges of duty and responsibility that we forget to give ourselves permission to have some fun. Some of us may even be “punishing” ourselves for our situations or think that we don’t deserve to have a good time since our lives are such a challenge. But, in fact, single parents deserve … Continue reading →

Secret Confession—Sometimes a Good Cry Helps

I know that I have written a bit about mental health for the single parent, and staying positive and confident. These things ARE important and can be especially hard for stressed-out single parents. But, in all fairness, I thought I should make a secret confession…sometimes, there is just nothing more helpful and healing that to have a good, self-pitiful, cry! I have been at this single parenthood/parenthood thing for quite some time and I’ve learned that even the bleakest, most frustrating days are usually followed by something a little more pleasant. Eventually, kids move out of aggravating phases and they … Continue reading →

Watch Out for Those Paranoid Feelings

Recently, I was chatting with another single parent and I felt myself getting downright blue! I realized that in the course of the conversation, she had shared all sorts of paranoid feelings that she was clinging to, ideas about how unsafe the world was, how unsafe her child is, all the institutions and organizations and individuals that are out to get her since she is a lone single parent. I know that paranoid feelings are not the exclusive domain of single parents, but I think we have a tendency to be more susceptible to an isolating “me against the world” … Continue reading →

Relax! It WILL Alter Your Perspective

Tension headaches, tense muscles, poor sleep—the stress that often comes with life as a single parent can take its toll on our bodies—and on the way we see the world. I know it might seem incredibly simplistic, but learning how to relax can actually alter our perspectives and change the way the world looks. Stress and tension are not the sole proprietorship of the single parent, but I think that since there is only one of us, we can get locked into a certain “stressed out” perspective. Have you ever noticed how the world just looks different when you are … Continue reading →

“Where Do I Go With All This Anger?”

One of the common things I have heard other single parents comment on is the anger. Whether it is a short, intense phase that we move through in the midst of a separation, divorce, or immediately following and illness or death; or something that lasts for a good while or creeps up periodically to surprise us–wrestling with feelings of anger is a real issue for many single parents. It can be tough not to let our anger affect our parenting. Anger isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I was taught that anger is a good indication that other stuff is going … Continue reading →

Denial and The Single Parent

You may know by now that denial is an amazingly powerful survival tool. Like many human coping mechanisms, it is not one of those things that is inherently good or bad, but, instead, is a survival skill that has its place. As single parents, we may find ourselves utilizing denial to help us through a particularly difficult time, but at some point, we do have to learn how to process and let go of all that denial. Denial can show its face in many forms–in thinking that we will get back together with an ex who has left or abandoned … Continue reading →

Watch Out For Revenge

Many of us have come into single parenting with some pretty heavy anger and emotional issues. Even if we have done a lot of work to process those and work through to a healthier, happier place, we can still get struck and overwhelmed by feelings of wanting to seek revenge–as normal as it might be, this is not a road we want to start down as single parents… Feelings of wanting to seek revenge are feelings that never cease to surprise me when the sneak up on me! I think I am so evolved and have done so much personal … Continue reading →

Postpartum Depression and Temple Worship

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Don’t start worrying, but I’ll go ahead and confess that I have struggled with postpartum depression to some degree with the birth of all four of my children – including the one I just had. A recent trip to the temple helped me put things in perspective, and I’d like to elaborate a little on why I encourage anyone struggling with any form of depression to attend as often as possible. Of course, we all know that we should be visiting the temple as frequently as circumstances will allow. Most of the time, when we think of the temple, we … Continue reading →

Helping A Person With Body Image Issues

Sometimes, it’s easier to see problems in our friends and family than it is to see them in ourselves. If you have a friend or loved one with a body image problem, there are a lot of things you can do to help. Watch for the warning signs of a serious body image problem. If a person is spending an hour a day (or more) talking about his “flaws”, that’s a major indicator of a serious problem. Also watch for a person changing their normal routine because of a supposed “flaw” — like a person who won’t go out for … Continue reading →

Suicide: My Thoughts on One Case

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In Suicide: What Do You Think about It? I talked about the varied reactions of people to the phenomenon of suicide. Today I want to talk about a recent example of a typical reaction to suicide, one that I experienced just prior to Christmas, that season of love, family, and pronounced spikes in the annual rate of suicide. The woman in question who took her own life left no note, so the family had no concrete explanation for why she decided to take her own life. Naturally they were upset. I did not know the woman involved but I knew … Continue reading →