Search Results for: blog staying openwhen were tempted to do just the opposite

Dealing with the “Not Enough” Feelings

As single parents, many of us feel stretched and pulled in a thousand directions. Most of us really do want to be all that we can be and this means a great parent, a good friend or romantic partner, a solid and valued worker or employee, a positive citizen, etc. Unfortunately, many of us also wrestle with feelings constantly that we are “not enough”; that we will somehow never measure up to the expectations of others or ever be adequate enough to receive approval, love, acceptance, etc. As most of you know, I am not a psychologist or therapist or … Continue reading →

What Does it Take to Change Your Mind?

I wrestle with trying to NOT let myself become typically rigid as I get older. I think there are often two directions we can go in life as we get older and battered by the realities of living–we can make up our minds and stick to a rigid personal philosophy, or we can allow ourselves to evolve and let our minds and philosophies be changed. As single parents, we have often been through some rough and rugged times and in the attempt to get our lives under control, we make some pretty definite decisions and make up our minds pretty … Continue reading →

Taking the Focus Off Ourselves for a While

Perhaps because I write so much about what is going on in my own little world, I often feel like I get pretty myopic. As a single parent, I might also be hypersensitive about myself and my life because I feel like I have to pay such close attention to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. That is probably why I think it can be so great to be able to let all that go for a while and focus on people and problems OUTSIDE my family and my little domestic scene. Getting out of my own world and … Continue reading →

There are So Many Things I Can’t Relate to Anymore!

Life changes us, I don’t care what some people say. I have a friend who maintains that people do not really change and that we just keep working on the same issues over and over again. That might be true for some people, but I think that parenthood, and especially single parenthood has changed me in all sorts of ways. There are some people, ideas, and “things” that I just cannot relate to anymore… Of course, there are plenty of people in my life who either knew me as a young pre-parent adult, or have only known me as a … Continue reading →

Present Circumstances or Past Issues?

Most of us single parents know by now that part of our healing and recovery and getting ready to face the future, means that we have to learn how to let go of the past. It can get confusing, however, when there seems to be some “overlap.” How can we deal with present circumstances without bringing up past issues? The truth is, current events can very easily bring up triggers or past situations for any of us—not just single parents. But for single parents, we have little reminders all the time of a different family dynamic or a rocky past—letting … Continue reading →