Dealing with emotions and issues and concerns can be difficult for single parents. We might have a great deal we need to process, but dealing with the realities of every day can be consuming. With busy schedules and limited time to decompress, writing in a journal or therapeutic writing can be a great way to work through issues and have someone to “talk to” when we think we are going to burst…
Without another adult in the home to share ideas and parenting struggles with, one can feel isolated and lonely. Even with great friends and a good support system, they are not always available when we need them and there may be things that we are not ready to talk about to another human, but we need to work through on our own. Keeping a notebook or journal, writing “therapeutic” letters than we never intend to send, and even poetry writing can be fantastic ways of working through things and staying mentally healthy.
I am using the term therapeutic because I think that writing can be an incredibly valuable and healing activity—especially for a single parent. Getting things out of our heads and bodies and onto paper can be cleansing and cathartic and help us to see things more objectively. If you are still upset with your ex or have other personal struggles, writing everything out in that heartfelt letter and then destroying or burning it can be an incredibly freeing activity. I have also found that writing out my parenting concerns and issues regarding what my children are going through helps me to stop worrying and get more grounded about what to do. Whether it is rambling about my day, making lists for things I need to do, writing verses or letters, or even sketching the occasional picture—having a place to write out the daily happenings in my life has been a life-saver for this single parent—my journal is always nearby and it is never too late or too early, and it is never to busy or preoccupied to be available!
Also: What “Feels” Right?
Not Sure What to Say? Practice…