Top 5 challenges of single motherhood and ways to overcome them work-life challenges

Single parenting has never been easy.

According to a survey conducted by Pew Research, 59% of mothers working full-time barely have enough time for leisure.

Single young mothers experience even more difficulties when it comes to balancing work and parenting. It’s the responsibility of a single mom to care for her kids and provide for all their needs on her own.

She has to work extra hours to provide for her kids. Therefore, it becomes hard to balance professional work and responsibilities with personal life that includes parenting.

Do the following to overcome your work-life challenges:

  • Explore ways of working from home
  • Seek or ask for help
  • Set goals and boundaries
  • Find flexible working hours
  1. Financial strain

Many single mothers struggle with finances due to lack of financial support.

Although money can’t buy happiness, lack of it causes anxiety, stress, and results in limited choices. Sometimes, single moms feel guilty for being unable to provide enough for their kids.

It’s worse when a single mom waits for child support that never gets through or have to spend on lawyers to get payment for child support.

You can still achieve financial success through the following:

  • Creating a monthly budget template for expense tracking
  • Determining your debts
  • Getting money to pay your debts
  • Making long- and short-term savings
  • Becoming frugal
  1. Emotional challenges

Single moms lack someone to share with their bad and good experiences in life and as parents. There’s nobody to watch your favorite movies with.

You only juggle your life between parenting and working. Therefore, you easily get stressed and become depressed due to the feeling of loneliness.

If you’re struggling with emotional challenges as a mother, consider the following tips to help you overcome the tough parenthood times:

  • Focus on what makes single motherhood great and fun
  • Find other single mom role models to inspire you
  • Make sure your home environment is loving and healthy for the kids
  • Be thankful for what you have and the ability to provide for your kids
  • Show your kids how to play sports or harvest worms
  • Note that nobody is perfect and you’re doing great because you and your kids are perfect.
  1. Blame and guilt

Single young mothers also tend to blame themselves for their situation and feel guilty. The mothers feel that they don’t offer enough for their children.

Single moms also feel that what they offer to their larger families, bosses at work, and local communities isn’t enough. The single mothers do everything alone, making parenting a challenge.

You don’t have to feel guilty if you’re single parenting. Use the following tips to take charge of your emotions and kick guilt out of your life.

  • Live in the moment and appreciate your abilities
  • Limit the time you spend on social media
  • Spend quality time with your kids
  • Connect and mingle with other single mothers with better parenting experience
  • Know and accept that there’s neither competition in parenting nor a right or wrong parent
  • Spare quality time to treat and pamper yourself
  1. Fatigue and lack of enough time to get things done

Focusing on self-care at the expense of your kids and time prioritization are other challenges of being a single mother.

Working full-time and the responsibility of ensuring your kids engage in physical activities to live active lifestyles can leave you feeling tired and fatigued. For instance, working and taking care of a baby can easily drain you cognitively, emotionally, and psychologically.

Note that taking care of yourself is as important as caring for your kids. You can’t care for others, including your kids, if you can’t care for yourself.

Here’re tips to help you feel energized and motivated to get things done:

  • Don’t spend too much time on your phone, especially social media
  • Include more protein-rich snacks and red meat in your diet to munch on the go. Consider cheese, nuts, energy balls and crackers.
  • Drink a glass of lemon water with ginger or a cup of herbal tea each morning. Use a water bottle to hold the drink and keep it in your car or handbag. Drink the water each time you’re taking a meal.
  • Take short breaks to rest throughout the day.
  • Drink lots of water to feel fresh and increase your energy levels.
  • Join your kids when playing or take long walks to the nearest park, instead of lying down while your kids play alone.
  • Integrate exercise into your daily fitness routine.
  1. Low self-esteem and self-doubt

Single mothers also have to bear the brunt of harsh judgment in the society. Instead of providing support to single mothers, the society often tends to be more judgmental.

Friends and family members with negative mindsets make it difficult for young single moms to cope with singlehood, creating room for low confidence and self-doubt.

Engage in activities aimed at boosting your self-doubt and low confidence levels. Regain your self-worth as follows:

  • Interact with positive people
  • Practice positive thinking
  • Believe in yourself

You can overcome the challenges of single parenting and enjoy your life as a single mother. Simply accept your situation and appreciate what you can do to raise your kids well.