Article:
As a single mother, you may find yourself blaming yourself for the situation that you are in. You may be blaming yourself for not being there enough for your kids or not being a good enough parent. These thoughts can be very destructive to how you view yourself and how much you love yourself. We hear you, and we want to give you some tips on how to shift your mindset and love yourself.
First, it's important to internalize the message that no one is perfect, even single mothers who seem to be a superhero from their kids' perspective. You are trying your best and no one can expect any more. You are raising your children on your own with very little or no support from anyone. Take that in. You're doing one of the world's hardest jobs (in addition to the jobs you may have)!
It can often be hard to love yourself because you tend to put aside what you want and instead focus on what your kids want. Everyone expects mothers to sacrifice themselves for their kids, but this doesn't necessarily need to be the case. You can still meet your kids' needs while also valuing your own time and needs.
Try to look back at all the good things and success that you've had in raising your kids. Times you've been there for them and made sure they got what they needed. Then try to remember these times whenever you start to doubt yourself and your abilities to be a mother.