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Being a parent can be one of the greatest pleasures in life, but it can also be one of the hardest things, especially when you’re tackling it alone. Oftentimes single parents find themselves feeling burned out, wondering how they even got to that point.
How you go about handling everything you take care of each day will determine how good you feel overall. Running through a checklist can help you pinpoint areas that may need a little extra attention. Here are four things you should do to reduce your fatigue and feel your best.
1. Have Diagnostic Labs Done
When you’re feeling fatigued or burned out, one of the first things you should dig deeper into is what’s going on inside of your body.
While your doctor might order routine lab work for basics such as cholesterol or a basic thyroid panel, what you want is a full lab work-up to determine what might be off-balance. This is a great way to determine hormonal or microbiome imbalances that might be causing adrenal fatigue.
Once you’re more aware of what’s happening within, you’ll have a clearer idea as to what your body needs to feel and operate at its best.
2. Evaluate Your Sleep
Every parent has been the brunt of a joke or two regarding sleep. Unfortunately, those jokes often hit too close to home. Sleep is something that will present its own set of challenges time and time again.
With those challenges comes hard hits to your mind and body. Quality sleep is essential to your health and well-being. When you’re not getting the sleep you need, you’ll know it. You’ll feel it mentally and physically and you’ll see it in your appearance as well.
Even though you can’t guarantee nights of uninterrupted sleep, there’s a lot you can do to improve the quality of the sleep you do get. Establishing a healthy nighttime routine will set the tone for relaxation. Limiting exposure to blue light within an hour or two before crawling into bed will also help your brain prepare for rest. Setting your thermostat to a sleep-friendly temperature, using aromatherapy or winding down with a sleep-friendly yoga sequence could all be great additions to your routine as well.
Now is also a good time to ensure everyone else in your home is also practicing a healthy sleep routine, because as you know — restful sleep is beneficial for all.
3. Move Your Body (the Right Way)
One of the best things you can do for yourself when you’re feeling worn-down is to get moving. However, the key here is moving in the right way for your body.
It’s important to understand that the high-intensity workout that works well for your best friend might not agree with you. Maybe you find that a brisk walk leaves you feeling more energized and in shape than hours on a treadmill ever could.
In general, exercise boils down to trial and error. Pay attention not only to how you’re feeling during a workout but afterward as well. For instance, if you’re dealing with adrenal fatigue, low-impact exercise will be your best friend. Gentle exercises can be just as effective as high-impact yet are much kinder to your body overall. You also don’t need to work out an hour to see results. Shorter workouts have proven to be just as effective, while putting less stress on your body.
4. Focus on Mental Wellness
Do you think you take enough time to yourself? Do you focus on balance? Are you comfortable with saying no? Do you feel the guilt that often comes along with being a parent?
The above are all key questions to ask yourself. Your next step should be figuring out how to manage what you need to as a single parent (and an individual) while also identifying the things that are adding unnecessary stress to your plate.
Setting clear boundaries with work, designating certain times as screen-free, having standing 1-1 dates with your kids each month, or setting aside time for you to recharge each day will all go a long way in helping you with this.
Addressing and managing your fatigue is something that will take time and dedication, but it’s worth it. You’ll wonder why you didn’t do this sooner, and your family will thank you for it as well.