by Barbara Kasey Smith

Created on: July 22, 2010   Last Updated: July 23, 2010

Tips for finding me time as a single parent:

*It's hard raising a family alone:

It is not easy to be a single parent. A single parent is responsibile for taking care of every aspect of their families life and doing everything for them that is necessary. It is a single parents job to be responsible for their family and their well-being, prepare and choose proper meals, plan extracurricular activities, do the grocery shopping and manage financial requirements, and see that their children are given attention, reprimanded, and taught all the "right" things children requires in their lives and taking care of the children's medical needs and their health issues. A single parent is responsible for every aspect of their children's lives, and many times they hesitate to take some "me" time for themselves.

"Me" time is required by all single parents to prevent them from suffering a total burn out and becoming depressed and worn out. Every person in our society needs that "me" time to keep in touch with their own individuality and to rest their mind and restore their energy. Here's a list of things a single parent can do to work out a period of "me" time for themselves:

(1)  Plan a special occasion for yourself on a weekly basis. Take your time to "smell the roses" when you put your family down for bed at night. Make bedtime consistent every night so that you can enjoy "your" time. Snuggle up on the sofa and read a book or watch a special television program that interests you or some other craft you may like. Prepare yourself a special meal and sit back and enjoy it without any interruptions.

(2)  Plan on getting up about 20 minutes earlier than your family and sit back, relax with a cup of tea or coffee, and just enjoy the moments to think about yourself and make plans for a get-away for a couple days. If you like reading the newspaper while enjoying your tea or coffee, take the time to enjoy it before getting the family up for their daily chores. Call a friend you have wanted to chat with for a long time but never have the time.

(3)  Plan on doing something of interest during your bath time...such as applying a body rub, shaving your legs, arching your eyebrows, doing your nails, trying a new makeup, standing for awhile to let the water wash away all of your anxieties and feelings of being under stress and "no" time for yourself. Let the water take all your worries down the drain and you'll feel

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>