Life. It can be beautiful. It can also be crazy! Put it all together, and life can get beautifully crazy each and every day! The overwhelming stress of juggling parenting, earning an income, and the loneliness of life as a single mom can cause me to feel a bit despondent at times. When this happens (more often than I would like to admit), I think of things I can do to maintain my sanity during stressful life events.

In this post, I will share 4 Ways to Keep Your Sanity When Life Gets Crazy. Because God made us all unique, your idea of unwinding may not look the same as mine, however, getting a grip on handling high levels of stress in our lives is vital.

Healthy ways of relieving stress (whether it’s going to the beach, reading a good book, sipping on herbal tea, exercising, etc.) will not only help you enjoy life more in the middle of all the chaos, it also supports a healthy lifestyle, a balanced life, and a better outlook on life’s circumstances.

1. Learn to Unwind by Creating Margin in Your Schedule

Our lives are jammed packed with so many things competing for our time. It’s okay to say yes to some things, but not to everything. Don’t over-schedule yourself. Learn to create some margin in your life.

In a sermon series recently, our pastor preached on the importance of setting up guardrails in our life as it relates to how we spend our time. We all know life can get super busy! If you haven’t noticed already, just because we’re single moms with enormous responsibilities, God doesn’t give us any more hours in the day than he does other people.

How we manage our time is extremely important. For many of us, we have become the primary breadwinners of our families. Work is not an option for us. We have to provide a steady income to support our family. But we need to have some downtime. We should learn to create margin in our schedules to have times of rest.

For me, I accomplish this by taking a 15-20 minute “power nap” in the afternoons before I head to work. Sleep is something I enjoy, but I never get enough of it (can I get some witnesses ladies!). Allowing myself to relax midday gives me that extra boost of energy to get through the rest of my busy day.

I also enjoy watching old movies and television shows. To me, there’s nothing like snuggling up in my bed (with chocolate of course!) with a good Carey Grant or Humphrey Bogart movie. If I’m not tuned into an old movie, you can find me vegging out to old episodes of Full House or The Cosby Show.😉

There’s many other things you can do to unwind each day. Whatever you like to do, do it! Take some time to do things you enjoy. It’s a great way to handle life’s stress.

2. Unplug from Crazy News Reports & Social Media

Turning off the news and social media in our fast paced, always plugged in society is not as easy as it may seem. I’m guilty of always wanting to check into what the latest news reports are, or catching up on all my social media notifications. It can become highly addicting at times.

It’s necessary to have a time where we pull away from all the noise of the media and focus on the things that matter most (meditating on God’s Word, family, work, hobbies, etc.).

I believe we should stay abreast on what’s happening in the world around us. However, with all the negative news stories, social media drama, and falling into the comparison trap as we scroll through other ladies’ feeds (wishing our life was better), a well needed break could be rather refreshing from time to time.

For some, it may mean an hour break every day. For others, it may be a week or longer. Whatever you choose, stick to it!  Set out a time to disengage from all the “busyness” of the news and social media. It will do you a world of good.

3. Spend More Time Enjoying Your Kids

So some of you may be saying, “My kids are driving me crazy!!!” As a mother of four kids (of which I’ve spent a considerable amount of time with each day for the past 20 plus years), let me just say, I know the struggle.

Children can be so sweet, loving, and absolutely adorable, but there are times they can drive you completely crazy…like, seriously crazy!

But there are also times where you look at those little people (or half-grown people…teenagers) and think to yourself, “Wow! They are so amazing! I’m so thankful God allowed me to be their Mama.”

Don’t feel guilty when you feel like you just want to zap those kiddos right back to being infants! Trust me, I’ve been there, and almost every day.😁

The truth is, parenting is hard. Whether you’re a single parent or not, raising children can get pretty messy!

Babies can take away from your much needed beauty rest. Toddlers have a tendency to throw countless tantrums. Teenagers specialize in the famous “eye rolling” when asked to do a simple chore.

Yep, parenting can get pretty messy! And when parenting gets difficult, the last thing you want to do is spend time with your kids.

When you find yourself in that place of despair, think of ways you can enjoy spending time with your children (even the eye rolling teens!).

Abandon your usual schedule and spend some quality time together. Plan date days with each child. If you have little ones, take a trip to the park or visit a museum. Watch movies together or play games. Take your preteen or teen daughter thrift shopping (my daughter’s favorite!). Go to the gym and workout together. Learn to be creative as they get older. The key is to just enjoy being with your kids. It helps the entire family eliminate tons of stress.

4. Lean on the Lord When Life Gets Crazy

Life can (and will) get pretty crazy most of the time. The demands of just living from day-to-day can become so overwhelming, especially for single moms. When you feel like throwing your hands up, remember that God is ALWAYS there. He is right there through the hard times. He’s in control of all the craziness going on in this world. He knows how to handle it all because He is God.

Learn to lean on the Lord for strength as you journey through the rough terrain of life. Rely on His Word for guidance. Seek the Lord daily through prayer. God knows your needs and He’s able to meet each one.

I’ve heard several preachers over the years make this statement: “If there’s anything that concerns you, it concerns God.” He’s more concerned about your sanity than you will ever be. Focus on the Lord by looking upward instead of outward (or even inward). Lean in on the Lord daily, my sister. You got this (with the Lord!).😊

What do you do when life gets crazy? Do you have specific things you do to help keep your life balanced?  I’d love to hear from you today concerning these issues. Chime in by leaving a comment in the section below.

I pray this post has been an encouragement to you today! Until next time…Happy Parenting!❤️