Why Self-Care Is Important For Healing as Single Mums

Taking care of your physical well-being and emotional well-being as a single parent should be high up on your list of priorities. When we are also healing from trauma or heartbreak, it should be made an even higher priority. Yet this is when we more often than not will neglect our basic needs let alone actually put effort into taking care of ourselves. There are so many ways in which self-care is important for healing and I will show you why further down in this post.

Self-care is far more than just bubble baths and scented candles, although I do personally consider an evening laid in a hot, steamy bubble bath with a glass of wine and a great book a fabulous way to lower my stress levels. That in itself is amazing self-care!

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Why Self-care is Important For Healing

Life as a single Mum is busy. It is mentally draining at times and can be so very stressful. We are often juggling so many different plates and expected to play so many different roles, that even when life is good and we are at our very best, we need to spend time taking care of ourselves!

But when we are on a healing journey, we are still doing all of these things, plus battling with emotions and feelings that we cannot manage.

When we are still healing we can often suffer from:

Anxiety:

Our past trauma or heart break can lead us into an anxious state of being and begin to control many areas of our lives. Anxiety can prevent us from living the best life we possibly can.

Depression:

Depression is often another result of healing from something we really shouldn’t have to. Heartbreak alone is known to cause depressive episode and even long term depression as love and heartbreak has an unwanted effect on our hormones and brain activity. Please make sure you consult a Dr if you are experiencing any symptoms of depression.

High Blood Pressure:

The stress and anxiety levels you experience during your healing journey could potentially lead to an elevated blood pressure. This can be very dangerous if left untreated for too long. if you suffer from high- blood pressure, you have had all the necessary tests and there is no known cause there are ways in which you can bring your blood- pressure down. (This is in no way a substitute for advice you receive from a qualified Dr. You can find out more info HERE on high blood-pressure).

Low Immunity:

All the issues above and a lack of proper care for ourselves when we are going through a healing journey, can lead to a low immune system. This is a great indication of why self-care is important for healing as a low immunity can cause a wealth of issues regarding your physical health and wellness.

Poor Sleep Habits:

Without proper self care, our minds may not allow us to wind down and sleep at night. Or on the flip-side, we may be acting as our own worst enemy and not implementing good sleep habits. Getting good quality Sleep is extremely important for healing and not getting enough of it will hold up the healing process.

How Can You Practice Self-Care When Your A Busy Single Mum?

making time for ourselves can feel like a chore and it can feel selfish. I spoke in a previous post on a Single Mothers struggle to be seen how We have often been conditioned to feel that we are unimportant and un-worthy of the time and effort it takes to spend on our selves. We will more often than not neglect our own needs in order to fulfill others needs. but as you can see above this has absolutely no benefit to any one, not you and not your kids!

You must begin to make time for yourself regardless of the other demands that are placed on you. As single mothers, the world is literally resting on our shoulders and if we fall, the world falls around us, so it is important that we put ourselves first sometimes too.

Some ways that you can make sure you are doing this on a regular basis is to:

Set A Routine

Every Sunday evening I get out my journal and plan out my week ahead. I not only plan my work week, my blog posts, appointments, and calls, but I ensure that I add in my self care routines. This means that even on my busiest weeks, I am taking time out just for me or to persue something that will enhance my mental, emotional or physical wellbeing! I use this Amazing Legendary Planner to keep everything in one place. I have found that by working self-care into my routine, i am far more likely to stick to it!

Make Your Self-Care A Priority

When I plan my week as above, I do not look at self-care as an extra thing to squeeze in at the end of the week. In order to fully embrace your healing journey and becoming the very best version of yourself, you need to ensure that you are prioritising your needs and your self-care!

Realise That You Are Worth It!

You need to remember that you are more than worth spending time on. As I have said, we often forget this and especially if you are healing from heartbreak or trauma, you must remember that you are worth all the time in the world if it makes you better!

Different types of Self-care

There Many different types of self-care that go beyond the realms of bubble baths and reading a good book (although they are valid too).

Physical Self-Care

Taking care of your body Is one of the first things you need to start paying attention to.

Exercise: Ensure you get regular exercise. This will ensure you build up strength and resilience and is known to lower stress levels and depression.

Eating healthy: Eating a varied and balanced diet will help you to maintain a good immune system and keep your body in good condition. not eating properly also has an effect on our mental health. So it is important during the healing process to be mindful about what we put in our bodies.

Remember, You Are Worth The Effort!

Getting Enough Sleep: Good quality sleep is essential for healing our body and our mind. You function so much better when you have a good nights sleep. Set yourself an evening routine in which you wind down and possibly even meditate. there are apps and watches that can monitor your sleep, so make it a goal to get the recommended amount of sleep for you.

Deep Breathing: Deep breathing exercises help to lower your stress- levels and regulate your blood pressure. There are plenty of guided deep breathing podcasts and apps that can help with this.

Spa Nights: Yes I know, I said that isn’t what self- care is, but it is still a nice way to de-stress and allow yourself a little luxury. I find that being present with my body and showing her a little bit of love and luxury helps me to remember that I am important to. My needs are important. I light my candles… This One is my fave. Crumble in my fave foam bubble bath, pour a glass of wine… usually this one, and just indulge myself for a while!

Get Some Fresh Air: Just getting out the house and going for a walk can really help to lower your stress-levels, and boost your confidence if you are struggling with anxiety around getting out of the house. Taking small steps, feeling the fresh air and possibly sunlight (not so much in the UK), can work wonders to clear your mind and gets in some steps.

Mental Self-Care

Paying close attention to our Emotional Well-being whilst healing is super important and will have greater effects that you realise. But what can you do to incorporate Emotional and mental well-being in to your self-care routine?

Mindful Meditation: Mindful meditation is an amazing way to calm your racing mind and bring yourself into the present moment. meditation is known to regulate our nervous system and lower blood pressure! It also can be a great habit to bring in to your evening routine to aid in good quality sleep! Practicing mindful meditation will gently bring you back to a state of inner peace.

Socialising: Ensuring you have a great support network and spending time with quality people is important for our mental health. As humans we crave the need to be around people (even us introverts like spending time with the right people). Make sure you are getting the right amount of social time with people who are good for your soul.

Journaling: Journaling is a great way to organise your thoughts and get them out of your head. I speak a lot about journaling, but it has been one of the number one things that has helped me to really dive deep into my emotions and organise my life in a way that works well. Take a look at this amazing healing journal!

Check out or heartbroken to healed journal here…

Take A Break From Social Media: Social media has been a great way to stay in touch with distant relative and friends and can be a good way to make and keep in touch with people. BUT spending too much time on social media or following the wrong things can have a detrimental effect. I would suggest taking a break from social media if you think it isn’t adding value to your healing process. when you go back on I would also do a de-clutter and eliminate the accounts that do not make you feel good!

Educating Yourself And Finding Your Purpose: As single mums, we can often get bogged down in educating our kids and making sure they are headed on the right path, that we often forget that education doesn’t stop when you leave school! Our identities often get lost as single parents but making time for your own education can lead to a new sense of purpose. Take a look at what you want from life, would you like to learn something new? Do you need to learn something new in order to progress in your career or start a new one? Maybe you want to educate yourself financially. Whatever it is, start investing some time in educating yourself.

Plan For The Future: As stated above it is important to begin educating yourself and making plans for what you want from life. When going through a healing process, it can be difficult to realise that there are good times ahead. So start looking into and planning for your future. It is bright, I promise you!