Single Mom? Manage Your Stress With These 10 Tips

Being a single mom brings with it its own stresses, follow these ten tips to manage the stress more effectively.

1. Have reciprocal agreements with friends. This is incredibly important especially for those who don't have family close by to offer their support. Organise days that you can pick up one of your friends kids from school and provide tea, so that on the other you can have some free time as your child takes his turn. Yes, you will have one day a week with an extra child, but they will occupy themselves. And, hopefully, they will be a playmate that plays well. If it works, upgrade the terms to sleeps overs and enjoy a free night once in a while!

2. Get to know what's on in your area. Use the local links on mom's websites to find out what is happening near to you, this will help you find new and exciting things to do at hopefully little cost.

3. Get the kids helping. Assign them weekly chores and give them total autonomy for them. You are not only lightening your load by sharing it, but also teaching important rules about responsibility.

4. Make time for you. This is critical for your sanity. Whether it's a weekly trip to the gym or a night out with friends, this needs to be scheduled in; otherwise too many other priorities come in a push your needs out of the way. Use the time freed up through tip one to make it happen.

5. Social net working to vent. One of the most important ways to keep things in perspective is to talk them through with someone. If there is no one to share a glass of wine with in the evening whilst ranting, problems can escalate in importance in the mind. Social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, provide an outlet for stress and the support you receive from friends as you update your latest status can be incredibly supportive.

6. Mix it up. Nothing can feel as monotonous as a routine that rarely varies, especially when there is no one to hand over the tasks to occasionally. The old adage that a change is as good as a rest is true, once a week do things differently like heading out for tea.

7. Have things to look forward to. They do not need to be expensive but book in a monthly or bi monthly activity that you can work towards.

8. Sit in sunlight. Whenever you can. The sun's effect on mood is now well documents and can help uplift spirits immediately.

9. Ensure there is a gap between stimulus and response. How often do we react as soon as something happens; in many cases a programmed response that has become in-built over time? Give yourself time to react a different way. When something happens that you find stressful, stop. Everything. Just stop. Then, in that time, choose how you would like to respond. The feeling of being in control is very, very powerful.

10. Smile. Research has shown that the act of smiling tricks your body into helping you change your mood. In addition, it is also contagious.

With these tips in effect, you are sure to find the stress as a single mom lessened, if only by a bit.

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