Dealing with Depression as a Single Parent

Written by Anthony Piccirilli

As a single parent with depression, you are on-call 24 hours a day while battling a variety of psychological and physical symptoms that prevent you from parenting to the best of your abilities. Asking for help when you need it and taking the time for self-care are both important steps to take when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Suffering from depression while going through a divorce, child custody case, or child support matter also necessitates having an experienced and compassionate attorney on your side.

If you are suffering from depression as a single parent and need help dealing with a family law issue, call a Pittsburgh divorce lawyer from Pittsburgh Divorce & Family Law, LLC at (412) 471-5100 to schedule a free and confidential case consultation.

Advice for Dealing with Depression as a Single Parent

There are a number of steps you can take to deal with your depression while parenting on your own, including:

Be Honest with Yourself
The first step to dealing with depression as a single parent is recognizing what is going on. Every ounce of your being may want to deny you have depression. You do not want to feel like you are sick or that you failed. However, depression has nothing to do with your best efforts or intentions. It is a mental illness that you can’t control. It can cause you to experience fatigue, sleep disorders, restlessness, irritability, and aggression. You may consistently feel unhappy, hopeless, and lose interest in things you used to love. You may even experience suicidal thoughts. In this situation, be honest with yourself and ask for help.

Ask for Help
You were never going to be able to do it all yourself as a single parent. As a mother or father with depression, it is even more vital that you recognize when you need help. It may be as simple as asking a family member or friend to babysit while you go to therapy. It might be that you need someone to be a compassionate sounding board once in a while. Perhaps you may need your boss to extend a deadline or two. Whatever it is, most people are understanding and will do their best to help you succeed.

Prioritize Treatment and Self-Care
You probably place all of your focus on taking care of your child, not yourself. This cannot continue when you suffer from depression. It is treatable, and you may benefit from therapy, medication, or both.

Depression also requires that you take care of yourself, both physically and mentally. You need to determine your stressors and how to best relax. If you benefit from meditation, make sure you take the time to do that. If your physician recommends exercise, find a way to work at least 15 minutes of exercise into your daily routine. The best thing you can do for yourself is focus on the basics.

Remember, self-care alone will not treat depression. Diet and exercise are important, but they cannot replace therapy and medication.

Consider Online Therapy
A difficult aspect of having depression as a busy parent is obtaining the medical attention you need. You may not have the time or the resources to see a therapist every week. In this situation, consider your virtual options. There are a number of legitimate counselors and therapists who offer their services online. You can also find free or frugal online support groups. Instead of having to pay a babysitter and find time for an in-person meeting, you can receive the care you need from your own home.

Let A Divorce Lawyer Help

As a single parent, you likely have to deal with several issues. If you find yourself dealing with court appearances and other legal problems on top of everything else, do not attempt to deal with it alone. The best thing you can do for yourself and your child is to work with an experienced and compassionate attorney from Pittsburgh Divorce & Family Law, LLC. You need to concentrate on taking care of yourself and your child. Attorney Anthony Piccirilli will concentrate on what to do in court, and he will fight for the best outcome for your family.

To learn more about how a lawyer can help, contact Pittsburgh Divorce & Family Law, LLC at (412) 471-5100 to schedule a free, confidential consultation.