Divorce takes an extreme physical, financial, and emotional toll on a person. You expected to be with someone forever, but things just didn’t work out. Divorce can be painful, depressing, and hard to recover from. However, this doesn’t always have to be the case.
Taking care of your physical and mental wellness during this difficult time is crucial to breaking out of a depressive cycle. Following these tips will help you find ways to take time for yourself, focus on your health, and move forward after a difficult divorce.
Make Time for Self-Care
It is common to fall into depression and grief following a divorce. You may try to keep yourself busy to avoid thinking about the situation. You may feel listless and have little energy or motivation to do the things that you once loved. In these situations, it is crucial that you take time for self-care.
Set aside a certain time of day to engage in self-care. It can range from 10 minutes to an hour. You can have your self-care time right before bed, before or after you go to work, after dinner – whenever it works for you. There is no right or wrong time to engage in self-care.
During this time, do something special for yourself. Draw a warm bath with bubbles. Take a walk around your favorite park. Visit a pond, lake, beach, or other body of water. Listen to your favorite music or read more of an exciting book. Indulge in a sweet treat or a nice cup of coffee or tea. Importantly, do things that make you feel happy, calm, and relaxed.
Ask for Help
If you find yourself struggling with dark thoughts, depressive symptoms, anxiety, or any other signs of poor mental health, it is okay to ask for help. Many people who are recovering from a divorce experience depression, PTSD, and anxiety. Making a visit a mental health professional or therapist can help alleviate these symptoms and give you a safe space to talk about your experiences.
Stay Healthy
Periods of intense sadness, stress, and grief can put our daily routines out of whack. You may find yourself reaching for fast food when cooking dinner feels too difficult. You might lay in bed for an extra hour instead of going for your usual run or hitting the gym. However, eating a poor diet and not moving your body can worsen depression symptoms.
Make sure you engage in at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. Try to incorporate healthy fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into your diet whenever possible. Try to stay away from processed high-sugar, high-fat foods. However, if you need a comforting snack occasionally, go for it – a little indulgence never hurts if you keep a balanced lifestyle.
Combat Loneliness
Adjusting to post-divorce life can be difficult. You may have lived with another person for years and suddenly find yourself alone all the time. Your children may go visit your ex-spouse a few days out of the week or live with them permanently. You may lose social connections and friends.
You may feel extremely lonely after a divorce. Sometimes, loneliness is unavoidable. In these cases, identify activities that you like to engage in when you’re alone. Book a solo trip, visit a park or beach for a relaxing day, or curl up with a good book.
Even if you do enjoy loneliness, it is important that you get out of the house and meet people again. Visit old friends for a coffee, visit your family, or enjoy a new club or community sports team. Getting involved with something new can help ease the pain of divorce and help you find a new, supportive group of friends.
Divorces are painful, difficult, and sensitive. If you are in the middle of a divorce, you may feel stressed, overwhelmed, and sad. Contact an experienced divorce lawyer to help you through this period in your life, providing consistent and compassionate legal support while fighting for your best interests.
