Step 3: Emotional Wellbeing

🧘‍♀️ Tips for Emotional Self-Care

• Give yourself permission to feel. You don’t have to be strong all the time. Crying, venting, or needing space doesn’t make you weak — it makes you human.
• Practice “micro” self-care. A five-minute walk. One deep breath. A hot shower. Don’t wait for a perfect moment — take what you can, when you can.
• Limit comparison. Social media shows curated lives. Don’t measure your worth against someone else’s highlight reel.
• Make space to journal. Even a few sentences a day can bring clarity and reduce anxiety.
• Talk to someone. A friend, a therapist, or a support group. You don’t have to carry this alone.

💛 Free Mental Health Resources

• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) – Free support groups and mental health education.
• OpenCounseling.com – Find low-cost and sliding-scale therapists near you.
• 7 Cups – Free online emotional support from trained listeners.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Dial 988 for 24/7 confidential emotional support in the U.S.

🌿 Words of Encouragement

You are not failing. You are carrying more than most people realize. And still, you’re showing up. That is strength.

Take this one day at a time. Some days will be messy — but that doesn’t mean you aren’t doing beautifully.

📘 Helpful Reading

• The Mindful Single Parent – Avery Nightingale
• Emotional Regulation for Parents – T.R. Fosters
• Shift: Managing Your Emotions – Ethan Kross
• Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress – Nick Trenton
• The Language of Emotions: What Your Feelings Are Trying to Tell You – Karla Mclaren