Top 9 Self Care Ideas For Single Mums That Are Powerful.

Burned out? Stressed? Learn how self-care can help you become a happy and healthy person.

How Self- Care Can Help You Become a Happier Single Mum?

I know how difficult is to be a single mum and how much extra stress you have and additional responsibilities. But, the end of the day, you need to work on improving your life. You need to work on your relationships with kids, and you are the one that cannot give up. There is so much pressure, I know. Especially when you are a full time single mum and also a full time professional.

Let me tell you a secret – I have strike a balance and I would like share that with you.

9 Self- Care Tips That Will Save You

Below you can find the best, proven ideas for single mums. As a single mum, I have read thousands of books and guides and I have tried many tips and ideas. I have picked the best ones in my opinion.

1. Routine is Key

Morning routine just for yourself. Have a nice hot cuppa, do a bit of journaling, sit and think (you don’t need to do anything, just sit). Do a bit of affirmations, visualisations, run a “My future life” journal where you can catch all your dreams, and the perfect life you wanna live. This particular self-care method is the most powerful in my case.

2. No Need To Be a Monk To Meditate

Meditation is an excellent way to spend some time with yourself, to understand yourself, understand your emotions, fears, strengths, weaknesses. You don’t need to turn into a monk; meditate for 10 minutes, use a guided meditation (YT has tones and tones of them). This self care technique will help you to calm down and find your inner peace.

The reasons why you should meditate are rather obvious:

• To reduce stress. Stress brings over 90% of the deaths in business, banking, finance, law, teaching, medicine. It is hard to see the cruelty of life in someone else’s eyes. Even the best of us have a period of being frazzled.
• To feel calmer and be independent. With a clear head, you can see yourself creating the reality and self control.
• To feel joy. We must be in the moment. Without self control, it brings sadness.
• To see more clearly, and be a more effective parent. It may help me see things that weren’t there.

3. I Like It Move It Move It

Another self-care tip is to practice a mindful yoga, focus on each move, each muscle, how your body react, where you have any blockages, where you need to stretch more, etc. You can also add a mindful breathing to your yoga. Each breath gives you more and more energy, you getting stronger at each breath.

A mindful yoga is a form of yoga that encourages you to become aware of your body, with care. In a mindful yoga, you focus on one muscle group at a time. One simple idea is to check that muscle, that you are able to touch the floor with his/her hand.

Then you check the other muscles that are in contact with the floor, and check that the body does not bounce off the floor. When you check all the muscles, you are more comfortable with the pose.

The breathing in the pose is important too. It tells your body how strong you want to feel. One simple idea is to keep your breath long while in the pose, and release the breath. The other idea is to breath shallow. This shortens the breath, and gives you more energy.

Here are some of the reasons of practicing a mindful yoga as one of your self care tips

1. Blood pressure changes. A mindful yoga is very powerful in reducing high blood pressure. The reason for this is that it helps to connect the mind to the body. This causes an increased flow of blood to the bloodstream. The body now has a way to regulate itself, and an improved capability to eliminate excess fluid from the body.
2. Blood sugar. A mindful yoga reduces the amount of insulin the body needs to make. The body does not need to produce as much insulin as it does at 40 beats per minute. It needs to produce slightly less insulin at 65 beats per minute. This means the body has less demand for the insulin. Blood sugar levels also decrease.
3. Flexibility. A mindful yoga is very efficient in changing the muscles. In an hour, it stretches the body extensively, and this causes a decrease in stiffness.
4. The skin. A reflective pose is a very good thing to do at home. A reflective pose is a good workout for the body. When a person focuses on the body as a reflection of the self, the heart rate slows down, and the respiration becomes slower. The body becomes very quiet, and the body begins to heal. It heals from the injuries it has sustained.

4. Bubble, Candles and More

Mindful bath: relaxing bath, bubbles, candles, nice relaxing music or podcast, lights off. Just imagine that; I already feel more relax by only typing about it lol.

5. Trees, Leaves, Wind and Sun

Forest bathing, walks, hiking, beach walk, field walk are some examples of how to spend your free time peacefully. Be in nature, away from building, traffic, noise, people can clear your mind and help you be more present and focused.

When you are “in the zone” in natural state, you are much more relaxed and focused. Your body, mind, and spirit become one.

Connecting with nature is known to make you “softer” and makes you more willing to listen to your own hearts. In order to reconnect with nature you just need to go outside. If we do this, you will notice that the “driving mode” will just disappear, as the “noise of the world” is transferred into the silence of the nature, into the “sound of the wind”. With this connection with nature our will and intelligence will be able to come back into play, enabling you to think with a more objective view. It is this “clear sight” that allows us to see clearly what needs to be done.

***Leave The Driving Mode Behind***

By spending your free time in nature, you are getting out of the “driving mode”, where you are so focused on getting somewhere else that you are not present with what we are doing. you are not only being present with the moment, but also you are learning how to be in the moment.

You need to be able to disconnect from the world around you, without being easily distracted. You don’t disconnect “from your phone” but you disconnect “from the world”, the people, the TV, the news. So, reconnect with the sun, the wind, the trees, the rain, the soil, the water.

If you struggle with disconnection, you can try a deep breathing technique. Not only it will take you away from the “driving mode”, but also clears your mind, which will help you to be in the moment.

If you are in the “driving mode” you do all your thinking, but then you only get distracted by the people, things, and the thoughts that occur in the background. Deep breathing allows you to disengage from that background noise and allows you to focus on what we are doing.

6 .Wear the old coat and buy the new book.

Read a book, listen to audiobook or podcast. Just please don’t pick up any thriller or horror haha, that is going to relax you NOT.

You can read books that can help you achieve your goals in life. These books can also contain information about confidence building, and how to achieve goals in life. It is very helpful when you need some tips.

To achieve goals in life, it is useful to write down your ideas and short term goals. These ideas can be gathered in one place. It is very helpful to have some way to measure your progress. You can use a notebook, or you can also use a diary. To record your short term goals, write your ideas on one side and your goal in one sheet of paper on the other.

7. Unplug Yourself and Try Digital Detox

Detox – turn your phone off. Watch a nice relaxing movie, cook a new dish, practice a positive self talk, oh girl, you have got it. Self-care practising is working!

8. New Skill, New You

Learn a new skill. Did you know that about 90% or even 95% we are doing things on autopilot, meaning we do not train our brain at all. That sounds scary.
Pick up on a new skill: crafting, drawing, painting, a new yoga pose, calisthenics, bake, cook. Honestly, no matter what you pick you will train your brain.

9. Shut Up And Dance With Me

Sing and dance!!! Dancing stimulates happiness hormones, it will definitely boost your mood and reduce depression and anxiety symptoms . It can also keep your mind sharp, improve your breathing and heart condition. To be fair, the benefits are endless – both mental and physical benefits.

In Conclusion

All I wanted to tell you, is that I know you can be so strong and you can have an amazing life as a single mum. Believing in yourself and loving yourself can help you achieve anything what you want in your life. There is always a way to improve things, to progress even further. Keep going girl, I know you can do it.

Read my other post on breathing technics that can help with your self care routine.