Juggling the never ending responsibilities, financial pressures, and emotional demands of being a single mum can easily take its toll on our mental health and make it really difficult to cultivate a sense of joy and abundance in our very busy and very stressful lives. Mindfulness for single mums may not come easy- trust me, I know! But with these simple and practical mindfulness techniques, you can start to relieve some of that stress and find your way back to inner peace.

​I know, mindfulness and inner peace sounds like a dream when you are in the midst of juggling a million and one things as a single mum- and I am by no means saying it is super easy to work it into your daily routine, but it is possible and it is 100% necessary if you want to live a full and happy life as a single mum.

Mindfulness, although may sound a bit wishy washy, is actually such a powerful tool for managing stress, finding emotional balance, and creating little moments of peace amongst the absolute chaos of single parenting!

I am not suggesting that to practice mindfulness, you must turn into a yoga obsessed, perfectly calm, super zen single mum …. no, that is unrealistic.

It does however mean that instead of constantly living in a spiral of stress, you can find a few minutes of calm and peace everyday! 

What Is Mindfulness? And Why Is It Important For Single Mums?

Mindfulness is simple, it is really just about calming your busy mind, and being in the present moment and with the non-judgmental acceptance of self. 

And for us single mums, this is oh so important! And a great way to get in some self-care moments! We get so wrapped up in everybody else’s needs and emotions, that we often overlook our own and it is easy to become overwhelmed and stressed out!

Taking a minute for mindfulness everyday can help you gain clarity around your thoughts and feelings too- it is easy to get annoyed and overwhelmed, and not really understand why. But taking a moment to pause for mindfulness, can help you to identify what you are feeling and what the real triggers are.

Making sure you add in a little mindfulness practice into your everyday routine can make a significant difference to how you feel within yourself, and ease some of that parental stress that sits on your shoulders, and make some positive changes in your life.

Some of the benefits of mindfulness include:

• Reducing stress
• Improved focus
• Ease negative emotions
• Helps with depression
• Improve physical health
• Increase positive emotions
• Increase emotional intelligence

Studies show that by practicing mindfulness for just 10 minutes a day, you can significantly lower stress levels! Now don’t we all need that!

Quick Mindfulness Practices for Busy Single Mums

​Making time for mindfulness doesn’t have to take a lot of time- we all know we don’t have all day to sit and meditate on our thoughts and feelings- nothing would ever get done! 

So here are a few simple Mindfulness practices that can give you that brief respite from your chaotic life, and help bring you a little peace of mind.

• Deep Breathing Exercises: Taking a moment out, especially during a time of high stress or anxiety to just focus on your breath can help you to feel an instant calm. So next time you are feeling extra stressed or overwhelmed, step away, breathe in for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds, and breathe out for 5 seconds- I find this super helpful to stop myself from losing my shit- it happens often!
• Mindfulness meditation: Meditation is an amazing way to calm your nervous system, reduce stress, and lower blood pressure. And I know, you are probably wondering how on earth you are supposed to spend time sitting in a room alone in complete silence for hours meditating whilst your kids trash the house- but that isn’t what your meditation practice has to look like! There are some fantastic 5- minute meditation videos on you tube that you can do at any time- even as you fall asleep at the end of the day!
• Yoga: Nope- you do not need to go out and find a yoga instructor who will let you bring your kids along, or even go and sit in a yoga class at all- unless you want to of course. Yoga is great for your physical and mental wellbeing and is a great way to etch in a little bit of mindfulness into your day! Again there are plenty of yoga videos on you tube and even those that you can do with the kids!
• Gratitude Moments: I bang on about gratitude all the time, but that is because i used to find this so hard- I still do at times, as I have a naturally pessimistic outlook- but, it really has changed my life and how I look at things. You don’t need to spend hours writing lists and lists of things. Just take a moment each day- I do it in the morning- to write down just 3 things you are grateful for today.

Getting The Kids Involved In Mindfulness

Teaching your kids mindfulness from a young age can set them up for a much calmer and present future! 

As I said above, there are yoga sessions online that are aimed at kids which you could do together. You could take a nice mindful walk with them and get them to stop and notice the colours, smells, and sounds all around them. 

Practicing mindfulness together as a family can not only help to keep your house calm, but can also strengthen the parent-child bond and it teaches your kids valuable coping skills- skills that most of us were not taught growing up- and it can help reduce anxiety disorders later on in life.

Overcoming Challenges To Mindfulness As A Single Mum

Obviously it isn’t always easy as a single mum to find time to add yet another thing to your to-do list. We are all busy mums trying to balance work, cooking, cleaning, and running around after the kids.

But hopefully some of the practical advice and tips above will help you to find that much needed quality time with yourself (and the kids) to implement some mindfulness into your everyday life.

Just start small, you don’t have to set up a whole new routine. I like to fit much of my mindfulness such as meditation and gratitude into the morning and evenings when things are a bit calmer. And then just take a few moments of the day to breathe and centre into the present when needed. 

You can also easily add it into your everyday chores- deep breathing whilst folding the laundry or focusing on the bubbles whilst washing up after dinner. 

Mindfulness isn’t something that you achieve one day and you’re done- it is something that you weave into your everyday life!

Conclusion: Finding Your Calm In The Chaos

​Mindfulness is not about escaping your busy life, or your responsibilities as a single mum- although that can be so tempting at times- but it is about embracing those small moments and thriving within them!

So start small, be patient and loving with yourself, and celebrate every little mindful moment you create!