Search Results for: blog stress and stress relief keeping the balance

Stress and Our Bodies

We all know how damaging stress can be on our bodies. It is a natural phenomenon that we all experience from time to time. If you have gone through a divorce you are all too familiar with the stresses that go along with it, not only for you, but for your children as well. There are so many changes that happen all at once. Everyone’s roles shift as they are trying to navigate this new journey and it isn’t always easy. Everyone is dealing with their own set of emotions and trying to deal with them in their own way. … Continue reading →

How Heavy is Your Glass?

We’ve all had those days when you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. As single parents I think we have them even more often. I once got an email addressing this very issue. A woman walked around a room holding a glass of water as the audience waited for what they assumed would be the age old question, “Is the glass half empty or half full?” Instead she asked a different question, “How heavy do you think this glass is?” The audience caught a little off-guard began throwing out answers, “8 oz!” “20 oz!” She … Continue reading →

Single Parent Chaos

It was one of those mornings. They seem to happen much more frequently as a single parent than they did when I was married. I am in the middle of my college finals this week. This is stressful in and of itself; then you add a three year old in the mix and things get slightly more stressful (ever tried studying with a three year old?); to top things off you’re doing it on your own, there’s no one there to give you a 20 minute study break, you simply learn to multi-task like a mad woman. As if this … Continue reading →

Finding Balance in the Unbalance

As a single parent you may feel like your life is in utter chaos about 90% of the time. You are running from one thing to the next all day long, you hardly have time to take a shower in the morning, let alone brush your teeth. You are doing the work of two, so naturally you have a lot on your plate at any given time during the day. There are always a million things to do; get up, get the kids ready for school, go to work, come home, make dinner, help kids with homework, give the kids … Continue reading →

Re-Thinking Stress

We all know that stress is bad for us, but as single parents, it often comes with the territory. Trying to juggle working and being a mother takes a lot out of you and at the end of the day you find yourself overworked and exhausted. The times you are feeling the most stress are often the times when you are unable to find happiness, but that’s not all, when you are under an intense amount of stress your body kicks into action and produces cortisol. Cortisol isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it is what gives our body the fight-or-flight … Continue reading →

Are You Sleep Deprived?

When I was younger, I never understood what the big deal was about sleep. I’d hear older people complain about not sleeping good and I’d think “I never have a problem!” I had no problem as a late teen getting by on three or four hours of sleep a night. I guess I am officially “older” now because my sleep patterns range from “like a baby” to “not at all.” Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania recently did a study that showed the states that are most sleep deprived. Southern states ranked highest, which doesn’t surprise me. The study showed … Continue reading →

Unemployed? Home Based Work Could Be a Temporary or Permanent Solution

For people who find themselves out of work, working from home may be a faster path back to employment than trying to find another workplace – based job. It is true that unemployment numbers are improving, but unfortunately companies are still cutting back on staff or going out of business entirely. Often, there are many qualified and overqualified applicants for each position. Some job seekers, particularly those who have been trying to find a new job for months, end up taking positions that pay them less than they are worth and offer little challenge, fulfillment, or opportunities for growth. Losing … Continue reading →

Time to Unwind

Trying to manage the everyday tasks of parenting alone can be taxing on anybody. It can be unbelievably stressful and if you’re not careful you can easily find yourself burned out before your day is through. It is crucial to take a little “me time” each day to collect your thoughts and unwind a little bit. The more stressed you are, the more stressed your little ones will be. One of the most therapeutic things you can do is breathe. Once a day, or more if you are feeling particularly stressed, take some time out to simply breathe in and … Continue reading →

Does Your Work Make You Tired Sometimes?

Sometimes, it is not the physical demands of the work that you do that can leave you feeling completely drained but the emotional component of the work. Some jobs cause very little emotional fatigue but can be physically draining in one or more ways. Still other jobs offer little to no fatigue of any sort. Over the past few days, I have experienced all three situations. The most emotionally demanding work that I do is a part of my law practice. Some of the things that I do are transactional in nature and do not involve a lot of emotion, … Continue reading →

Stress and Stress Relief – Keeping The Balance

After reading this post by Richele McFarlin, I felt so relieved. It turns out that I am not the only one who gets overwhelmed or questions her capabilities from time to time. Thank you Richele for reminding me that we home – based professionals, like everyone else, are real. We each have our own things that we struggle with from time to time, and we all have to reach out and ask for help sometimes. Lately, I have been attracting work like a magnet. I am excited because I love my work, but I can not pretend that it does … Continue reading →