The holidays can be magical, exciting, and enchanting.
They can also be fast-paced, high-pressure, and extremely stressful.
As single moms, and especially for those newly separated or divorced, the holidays can loom with a certain kind of dread.
From coordinating custody schedules to battling loneliness, creating new traditions to fighting the stigma of being a single parent - the first holiday season post-separation can feel like a major undertaking.
That’s why, as those big days approach, we’re taking a look at some real strategies to float you through this upcoming season.
Feel It
“When you accept an emotion, it tends to lose its destructive power,” says Psychologist, Noam Shpancer.
You may be angry, sad, lonely, and miserable. And that’s okay. Accepting and experiencing those feelings is the only way to actually work through them.
Embrace It
“The ability not only to accept your situation, but to embrace it is the only way you can begin to set and follow your own path and to find sustainable happiness,” says an article in the Huffington Post.
Proudly embrace being a single mom this holiday season. Instead of looking back and wondering what happened, worrying what others think, or fretting over what could have been, wrap your arms around this new situation and make it everything it can be, and more.
Pamper Yourself
You are a superhero. To yourself. To your kids. To the people around you. This holiday season, treat yourself like the superhero that you are.
Pamper yourself with good food, yummy chocolate, and anything else that takes the edge off a tough time, and makes you smile.
Trust Your Own Resilience
The holiday season may be tough, but you can and you will get through it with flying colors. Remember that you are resilient, amazing, and outstanding. You are a role model for your children, and they are so, truly lucky to have a woman as strong as you in their lives.
Approach the holidays this year with a level head, realistic expectations, and a willingness to find the magic in the least expected places.
Summary of Parts II and III: In part two of this series, we’ll look at three different ways to approach the holiday season, and in part three, we’ll talk about how community can support us through tough holidays.
