3 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Life as a Single Parent

As a single parent, you are the most important individual in your children's lives. 

Keep yourself in good physical condition. 

If you have young children, you realize how important it is to keep yourself in good shape to deal with the needs of your active offspring. 

If getting a membership at the local health club or YMCA is out of the budget, then find a way to at least get an exercise bike and work out at ten minutes a day and eat a balanced diet.

Now, here are 3 ways to get the most out of your life as your children become grownups:

1. Visualize and pursue a rewarding future that you can realize once you have an empty nest.

Do not allow yourself to be in position of acceding to your grown children's demands because you have an unfulfilled life. Grown children generally have no qualms about asking you to babysit your grandchildren or becoming an unpaid chauffeur.

However, if you have pursued a new direction prior to having an empty nest, then you can easily let your grown children know that on certain dates and times they can come by with the children for a visit, to have dinner, or to enjoy a pleasant conversation. 

But, they will know that at an agreed upon time they will be expected to go home. With this understanding, your grown children will have increased respect for you.

2. Develop and keep quality friends and relationships. 

Good friends and quality relationships are good for your mental health. However, it is essential to make the distinction between friends and acquaintances. 

A friend is someone who cares about your well-being and loves you unconditionally. And furthermore, a friend is supportive of your goals when your goals are in your best interest and will let you know when they are detrimental to your best interest.

Acquaintances often do not have your best interest at heart. Moreover acquaintances are likely to waste your time with idle and useless conversation and get you involved in wasteful activities. 

As a final point, acquaintances often want to use you to meet their own needs whereas in a friendship you and your friend are mutually supportive.

3. Consider your interest and skills and build on them.

Life is worthwhile when you continue to grow throughout your time on this earth. Think about the interests you had when you were in your teenage years that have remained in the back of your mind and never pursued. 

Perhaps you want to own your own business, go back to school to get your degree, become a nurse, social worker, or teacher, or even become a singer or motivational speaker if you have the talent.

The point is to consider your interest and your skills. If you have one or more interests and some skills which match those interests, then build on those interests and skills and let them take you to some new self-fulfilling goals.

When your children are young your most important obligations are to make sure that their needs are met and that they learn the self-reliant skills sufficient enough to become responsible and productive adults. 

While you are providing the required love and discipline for your children, you should have fun with them. 

When they become adults, your role as a parent changes. You become more of an advisor and a confidant. 

Make sure that they understand your new role and boundaries and begin to use the 3 Ways to Get More Out of Life. 

22 Steps for Single Parents to Get and Keep Joy in Life

A thing of beauty is a joy forever. Make your life a thing of beauty.

1. Take the time to do those things you feel are important for you.

2. Cultivate the capacity for change, for it is the key to enjoying your life.

3. Believe that your future will be an enjoyable one.  Say this each day, “Everyday and every way, I’m getting stronger, better, and more efficient.” and then make it so.

4. Turn your problems into stepping stones that would help you reach your goals.

5. Spend some time regularly with books, ideas, and music.  They are mind lifters.

6. Don't wait for a certain time to be happy, or until you have obtained something you want.  Be happy today, while you can.

7. Strive to discover your true talents and abilities.  Then develop them as much as possible.

8. Try to save more of your income in the coming years, if is at all possible.

9. To remain unhappy indefinitely is abnormal.  Chronic unhappiness is an illness of the mind.

10. Make each morning when you wake a new beginning – – a new opportunity to make each day a good day.

11. Happiness comes from within.  It is a learned habit of enjoying not necessarily the big things in life, but all of the little things.

12. Faith in yourself and in a higher power can work miracles of love, happiness, and peace of mind in your life.

13. Life produces for you just what you believe about yourself.

14. You will never be lonely if you show people that you care about them.

15. To achieve a more enjoyable life.  Start with yourself.  Don't expect people of the world to change, to suit your desires and needs.  You, yourself, must change.

16. Learn how to relax.  It is far easier to enjoy yourself if you know how to relax.

17. Don’t live in the past or in the future. Be as happy as you can during each day, as it comes.

18. Fall in love with the joy of learning.  Become a continuous learner, for even a lifetime cannot scratch the surface of all the interesting things to learn.

19. Smile and the world will smile with and back at you.

20. The world steps aside for the men or women who know where they are going.

21. Laughter does wonder for you. It is healthy because it increases your heart rate and circulation.

22. Use humor to relieve boredom.


Click here  For 21 More Steps to Get and Keep Joy In Your Life


Your Comments.
What would you like to add?

How to Exercise Your Mind and Body

Although, as a busy single parent, you  carve out time to read with your children. However, you must find time for your own reading. The old adage, you are what you read, still rings true. 

When your reading materials are success-oriented and optimistic, your achievement level will be high. 

Read Regularly
If your reading materials are pessimistic or depicts people as victims of circumstance, your achievement level will be low. It seems that achievement oriented literature will help you to think in terms of goals and success. It can be most supportive of you in your pursuit of inner strength and self-reliance. 
 
Keep the book you never get to read either in your car, your briefcase, or your purse. If you are waiting in a long line some where, or if you are caught waiting for a tardy child, it will become an opportunity to read.

And, finally, think about a book that you absolutely loved when you were in college and reread it. Great literature is every bit as great the second time around.

Exercise Daily
Nearly six out of ten people experience no daily exercise. However, like any other activity, it takes both choice and commitment. Walking, jogging, biking, or working out regularly on a home exercise machine such as a stationary bike can have a positive impact on your physical and emotional health, but you have to choose to do it and commit to doing it. 

Do it even if you think you don't have time for it. It's good for the mind, good for the soul, and it doesn't have to cost you a cent. Also consider walking with a friend. It's a perfect way to do two things at once: exercise and create an opportunity for good conversation. In addition to a regular exercise routine, get extra exercise by walking up a flight of stairs rather than using an elevator.

Positive Benefits
Back to the simple home exercise machine. It works fine. Forget the fancy looking exercise machines you see advertised on television and forget joining the local health club. You don't need either before you start exercising. In reality, the foundation of any good exercise program needs to be no more complicated than taking a walk or a jog for free and adding a few other activities such as sit-ups, push-ups, or jumping on an exercise bike if you just want to work on certain parts of the body and to give yourself some variety. This is all that is required for you to have a positive effect on your health.

To get the maximum enjoyment from life, you need to pursue the care and feeding of both your mind and your body. Think about health as a broad goal for both your mind and your body.

Your Comments?

3 Secrets to Becoming and Remaining Productive

There are three things that work against your productivity and personal development are procrastination, interruptions, and distractions. 

Here they are described and what you can do about them: 

1. Procrastinations

Procrastinations often arise because psychologically you don't want to do the task and consequently you keep putting it off and wreck your productivity. You either perceive the task as being too difficult, too aggravating, too provoking or all three and try to avoid doing it. 

However, avoidance is not the solution and the longer you put it off, the more anxious you will become. 

The solution is psychological in nature. 

You need to relax, visualize the most positive and constructive outcome you can, and then focus on the steps necessary to make the outcome a reality. Take the steps and then be pleasantly surprised at what happens.

2. Interruptions

Interruptions can be phone calls, someone wanting a face-to-face meeting with you, or any unanticipated event. Interruptions, however, can be prevented. If you're working at home consider structuring your day and vow to stick to your structure. 

Break your day down into time/task segments. For example, if according to your body clock, you are typically alert and do your best mentally challenging work early in the morning, schedule the first hour of the morning to do your research and writing if you work requires that. 

Then, schedule your organizing and filing at the end of the day. The hours in the late mornings and mid afternoons can be allocated for meetings, phone calls, appointments and lunch breaks.

3. Distractions

Distractions are the result of an undisciplined mind. Distractions principally happen as a matter of choice. 

You can choose to be distracted by playing useless computer games, dwelling on the argument you had with your friend or spouse, or engaging in some idle chatting instead of focusing on your tasks.

While procrastinations are also a matter of choice, distractions are even more so. 

Procrastinations might indeed be associated with having to deal with an unsavory experience such as revealing some bad news to someone, or just not doing something you just don't want to do but has to be done. 

Distractions on the other hand tend to result from an idle mind - a mind without a focus. Choosing to focus and act on constructive tasks with a strong desire to do so until you complete them eliminates distractions.

Your personal development as well as your productivity depends upon you clearly identifying these three culprits and taking the steps to eliminate them.

You may also like the 10 Business Success Attributes  

Leave your comments.

Stess can be a Killer. Here are 3 Ways to Superbly Manage it

Stress is to be expected and embraced.

Stress is normal. Everyone feels stress related to work, relationships, choices, decisions, your future and more. 

Stress affects everyone everyday and for the most part, stress offers the push we need to respond to a pressing situation.

Because it offers the aforementioned push, stress can be positive. You need a certain amount of stress to perform best at work. 

The key to stress management is to determine the right amount of stress that will give you energy, ambition, and enthusiasm, versus the wrong amount which can harm your health and well being. 

Positive stress is a motivator, challenging you to act in creative and resourceful ways. Here are the 3 Ways to Superbly Manage It. 
 
1. Manage stress for personal benefit.
Acknowledge that stress is good and make stress your friend. Based upon the body's natural fight or flight response, that burst of energy will enhance your performance at the right moment. A professional sports player is never totally relaxed before a big game. Use stress wisely to push yourself that little bit harder when it counts.

2. Know that there is no life without stress.
Stress is a part of life in both small and large amounts. It comes with all of life's daily hassles and irritations such as traffic jams, long lines in the stores, dealing with a demanding boss, and arguing with a spouse or disciplining your child. 

Stress also comes with crises and life changing events such as illness, marriage problems, financial difficulties, divorce or death. All these events force you to adjust, whether you are prepared or not.

3. Don't hesitate to get help when needed. 
If stress is not managed properly, the constant and cumulative impact of stressors, both small and large, adds up to a big impact. Don't hesitate to consider counseling. 

It's not a sign of weakness to get help, rather it's a sign of a desire for personal growth and an increased capacity to cope with life's circumstances.

Leave your thoughts and comments below. And share this article.

For Single Parents. Become Motivated - Take Action

Motivation is the force that leads people to take action. When you’re motivated, you do something. And that’s something that you do are tied to the pursuit of your goals. The goals that you choose and adopt reflect your feelings or emotional involvement with current circumstances and the hope that you can make things better for your self and your children.

Motivation comes from action that reflects your inner needs. You are motivated when you are dissatisfied and want to improve your situation.

Now, here are the three phrases of motivation;

1. Mapping Out Your Destination
On close examination, motivation flows through you in three phases. Consider the first phase as your goals.  Define your goals and your route plans – – your trip to your final destination. You need to evaluate and juggle information, sift through all the would-be objectives to determine which are the most beneficial; weigh all the potential risks; and, calculate all the possible outcomes until they lock in on the best goal under the circumstances.

2. Get Revved Up

Once you fix upon your goals or goal, you need to get revved up. You need to turn on the key, adjust the mirrors, and, third, hit the gas pedal. With the route map in hand and a full tank of gas, you need to hit the road.

3. Start Driving
Now, you will not be driving around aimlessly, you will be moving in a very specific, goal oriented direction. Moreover, when you form new goals, you begin a motivation cycle all over again. This can happen in a matter of seconds, over a long period of time, or anywhere in between. 

This mapping, revving up, and driving is the sequence that you have to go through no matter what goal you pursue and is fundamental for helping you to overcome setbacks.

Need more motivational thoughts, go to Success Sayings and leave your comments below.

10 Tips For Staying Mentally Healthy for All Single Parents

Enjoying mental health means having a sense of well-being, being able to function during everyday life and feeling confident to rise to a challenge when the opportunity arises. 

Just like your physical health, there are actions you can take to increase your mental health. Now, boost your well-being and stay mentally healthy by following these 10 Tips for Staying Mentally Healthy:

1. Connect with others. 
Develop and maintain strong relationships with people around you who will support and enrich your life. The quality of your personal relationships has a great effect on your well-being. Putting time and effort into building strong relationships can bring great rewards.

2.   Take time to have fun. 

Set aside time for activities, hobbies and projects you enjoy. Let yourself be spontaneous and creative when the urge takes you. Do a crossword puzzle; take a walk in your local park; read a book; draw pictures with your kids; play with your pets - do whatever you like.

3.  Participate and share interests. 
Join a club or group of people who share your interests. Being part of a group of people with a common interest provides a sense of belonging and is good for your mental health. Join a  a dance class; a theater group; or a book club.

4. Contribute to your community. 
Volunteer your time for a cause or issue that you care about and get your children involved. Help out a neighbor, work in a community garden, or do something nice for a trend. There are many great ways to contribute that can help you feel good about yourself and your place in the world. An effort to improve the lives of others is sure to improve your life too.

5.  Take Care of Yourself
Be active and eat well - these help maintain a healthy body. Physical and mental health are closely linked; it's easier to feel good about life if your body feels good. You don't have to go to the gym to exercise - gardening, vacuuming, and dancing all count. Combine physical activity with a balanced diet to nourish your body and mind and keep you feeling good, inside and out.

6. Challenge yourself. 
Learn a new skill or take on a challenge to meet a goal. You could take on something different at work; commit to a fitness goal or learn to cook a new recipe. Learning improves your mental fitness, while striving to meet your own goals builds skills and confidence and gives you a sense of progress and achievement.

7. Deal with stress. 
Be aware of what triggers your stress and how you react. You may be able to avoid some of the triggers and learn to prepare for or manage others. Stress is a part of life and affects people in different ways. It only becomes a problem when it makes you feel uncomfortable or distressed. A balanced lifestyle can help you manage stress better. If you have trouble winding down, you may find that relaxation breathing or meditation can help.

8.    Rest and refresh. 
Get adequate sleep. Go to bed at a regular time each day and practice good habits to get better sleep. Sleep restores both your mind and body. However, feelings of fatigue can still set in if you feel constantly rushed and overwhelmed when you are awake. Allow yourself some unfocused time each day to refresh. For example, let your mind wander or just daydream for a while. It's OK to add 'do nothing' to your to-do list!

9. Notice the here and now. 
Take a moment to notice each of your senses each day. Simply be in the moment - feel the sun and wind on your face and notice the air you are breathing. It's easy to be caught up thinking about the past or planning for the future instead of experiencing the present. Practicing mindfulness, by focusing your attention on being in the moment, is a good way to do this. Making a conscious effort to be aware of your inner and outer world is important for your mental health.

10.  Ask for help. 
This can be as simple as speaking to your doctor or your friend about where to find a counselor or community mental health service. The perfect, worry-free life does not exist. Everyone's life journey has bumps and the people around you can help. If you don't get the help you need first off, keep asking until you do.

Was this article helpful? Leave your comments below.

3 Essential Things You Need to Know About Depression

Just about everyone gets the blues from time to time - that feeling of sadness or grief that usually results from unpleasant life experiences.

While many people refer to the blues as depression, however, true clinical depression is as different from the blues as pneumonia is from a head cold.

Blues and Depression
The blues is a temporary and usually normal reaction to stressful life situations. Most cases don't involve physical symptoms, loss of self-esteem, or suicidal thoughts, and the negative state usually passes within a few hours or days.

Depression on the other hand, is an intense, pervasive and long-lasting disorder of mood that attacks the body as well as the mind, often resulting in serious problems in work, social, and physical functioning. Unfortunately, some people don't recognize depression for the serious illness it is. They think of it as a personality flaw, a sign of weakness or a character defect.

Three Dynamics of Depression
To go further in depth, depression occurs in at least three different dynamics:

• People in the first category are chronically depressed. Depression is built into them and may be passed from generation to generation.

•  The second dynamic concerns lasting grief that occurs after a severe loss. Its severity is entirely subjective but might occur with the loss of a child, spouse, or loved one, an amputation, mastectomy, a sizable career setback, or loss of functioning brought about by disease or trauma.

•  The third dynamic involves loss accompanied by anger. People who have unresolved issues with a departed loved one often do not know that they are angry. This despair can set in after messy divorces or after a close relative or friend passes away. Since they are not able to deal with these problems by interacting with the object of their anger, they take their antagonism out on themselves instead.

 Loss is the common element in all three dynamics. It could be a loss of time, an object, an idealization of an object, or a person.

Symptoms of Depression
Symptoms of depression often include disturbances with sleep, appetite and body weight, energy, concentration, and sexual functioning. There is frequently excessive guilt, feelings of worthlessness, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, and, in severe cases, thoughts of or attempts at suicide.

Some depressions are the result of a chemical imbalance and may only be treated by anti­depressant medication, some require psychotherapy, and still others a combination of methods.

Chronic Depression
Those with chronic depression can't be helped except by antidepressants. In these cases, psychotherapy may be of little help and a poor use of time and money. Time helps a person who has suffered a severe loss as well as an involved other person who listens to the aggrieved as he or she gives words to the pain. This does not necessarily have to be a therapist, but if there is not a strong support system, treatment is very necessary. Finally, only a strong guide can help people whose loss is accompanied with anger move toward slow recognition and safe expression of their real feelings. This is usually the only path out of melancholy.

Good News About Depression
The good news is that more than eighty percent of depression sufferers can be treated successfully. If you or someone you care about is depressed, seek help now by contacting a qualified mental health specialist.

What is your views about depression? Do you accept the difference between having the blues and experiencing depression?

Add your comments below.