What hobbies? I’m a single mom…

Finding time for hobbies as a single mom

If you’re a single mom and trying to date, this can be the perfect way to feel that you don’t do anything. When you have kids, life it all about them. When you finally have some kid free time, you might realize how anti-social you are.

Dating can help you quickly realize that you don’t have any hobbies. Naturally, when dating, you have a lot of questions asked about yourself.

Stop dreading one of the top dating questions

I hate being asked what my talents/hobbies are…  Um, I’m a single mom. Who has the time?! I am a pro at… taking showers in record time. I can silence a fight with “the look”. I can juggle working full-time, handle several schedule’s at once, run the household including keeping up with all bills while cleaning the toilets.

I remember times where I was craving time to myself so much that any time I found myself in the grocery store alone, I slowed down and took my time in each aisle. Other times, I ended up in awkward conversation with anyone I would run into as I tried to keep the conversation going because I desperately needed social interaction.

Why have a hobby?

Balance

No matter how much you love your children, parenting can be extremely overwhelming and exhausting. Having a hobby allows you a small break and focus on yourself temporarily.

Routine

Hobbies help take you out of your routine life. Staying at home with kids day in and day out, can feel isolating. Many working moms also feel this same isolation. Even though they get out of the house, they may not really have anyone to connect with at their job. Or they may need an outlet to deal with the stress.

Stress relief

Hobbies allow you to express your creativity and talents. It can also help build your self-confidence. We all need some time to breathe and focus on something besides our kids and our every day routines.

Personal growth

Hobbies help you feel like yourself and more fulfilled. Your kids won’t be young forever. Make sure you continue to grow as a person and begin things that you can continue when they do move out.

How can I find a hobby?

What do you enjoy?

What did you do before you had kids? What are your talents? Are you creative? Sporty? Social? Make a list of things you love and enjoy and think about what you would do if you had all the time in the world.

What is realistic for you?

How much time and money do you have available to invest in a hobby? You don’t want to go broke on your hobby. You may want to spend a full day each week on your hobby, but for most of us that’s not realistic. As a parent, it may feel like you have NO time, but really look at your schedule. Can you find an hour each month to spend on yourself? What about an hour each week? Find any time that you can and make your hobby a priority.

Learn to enjoy the silence

Learn to be okay with yourself. Sometimes it can be healing to get to the point where you’re okay with time alone. Get things done, run errands, read a book or focus self-improvement or setting goals.

If you really can’t get away, what can you do with your kids?

If you really can’t get away from your kids right now, find things that you can do with them next to you until it works out for you to get away. For example, if you want to start exercising, find ways to work out with your kids if you can’t find the time to get away.

Be realistic

Be realistic in the hobby you choose. I love dancing and took a Samba dance class for awhile that I loved. It ended up being more than I could keep paying for and also ended up being difficult attending during that specific time each week. I ended up going to Zumba classes at a gym. It was much cheaper and I could go any time there was a class. I was still getting the benefits I needed even if it wasn’t the exact activity I wanted to try.

What are your needs?

Do you feel like you need to find a more physical hobby to help with stress relief? Do you feel like art is a more suitable outlet?

Hobby Ideas

Creative

• Blogging
• Writing
• Art
• Sculpting
• Drawing
• Crafts
• Music
• Photography
• Sewing

Food & Drink

• Cooking
• Baking

Travel

• Road Trips
• International Travel
• Staycation

Physical

• Dancing
• Zumba
• Aerobics
• Weight lifting
• Yoga
• Meditation

Outdoor

• Sports
• Golf
• Fishing
• Hiking
• Biking
• Roller blading
• Walking/running
• Gardening
• Swimming

What hobbies are the right fit for you?

I completely understand how difficult it is to find a way to fit in a hobby around raising kids- especially if you’re doing it all on your own. But if you can find the right hobby for you, you’ll potentially be less stressed and end up being a much better parent for you children.

What are your hobbies? Or what type of hobbies are you interested in?