When you get married, you are combining your entire existence with someone you love, with the hope of spending the rest of your life with them. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case.
When it comes to a divorce, the smallest things can become overwhelming, but during this tolling time it’s important to remember to take time for yourself.
Focusing some time on yourself is the first step to feeling better about the situation. As we all know it is devastating to see your marriage end. Instead of feeling like your life is over, it’s best to try to look at this change as a new beginning. This way you can start to feel like a new person and attempt to become more independent. Try not to look at taking time for yourself as selfish, but instead view it as a necessity, seeing as this time doesn’t have to be spent doing anything lavish. It is important to prioritize activities that benefit your health.
Find What Makes You Truly Happy
Finding the activity or thing that makes you truly happy is one of the most important things you can do for your self-care during a divorce. Since the majority of your time is spent doing things that make you feel less than happy, finding an activity that can boost your mood is a great idea. For some, it’s working out or joining a club of some sort, while for others it’s reading a good book. Find your release and utilize it.
Be True To You
Divorce can be a time for some self-discovery along with self-care. Knowing what makes you, you is important. Understanding your favorite aspects of your personality and life are important to help you heal. Just because you are losing a part of your life doesn’t mean you have to lose sight of yourself. Be true to your values and worry less about making others happy before you make yourself happy.
Take a Hot Shower
One of the easiest ways to start spending some time on yourself is by simply taking a bath or shower. The act of getting clean can help you clear your mind and relax, and sometimes even the smallest things in life, mean the most to your mental and physical health. After going through something so life-changing, it is nice to give yourself that relaxing time to soak your stress away.
Groom or Primp
The next thing you can do to get your head back in the right space is to get yourself looking good. If you look good, you tend to feel better about yourself and vice versa. For men, the first step is to clean up your facial hair. Take a trusted razor and give your beard the care it deserves. After all, this is one of the easiest ways to change and improve your appearance. For women, try doing something different with your skincare or make-up routine, a little adjustment can go a long way. If you really want to change it up, try giving your hair a new cut and color to really shake things up.
Eat Healthy
As your divorce proceeds, your stress level is bound to increase. Most of the time when an individual stresses, they turn to eating an unhealthy diet, which can lead to other issues down the road. A way to take some time for yourself is by cooking or making yourself a healthy meal. This will not only allow you to focus on something productive and take your mind off what’s going on, but it will also allow your body to get the nutrients it needs to run at top performance.
Practice Self-Compassion
Each day that you are going through your divorce, you should be making it a point to give yourself some compassion. Divorce is a major change in your life and it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking negatively and claim the blame. However, spend a few minutes each morning giving yourself some love. Stand in front of a mirror and say things to yourself like “I am worth it,” “This will pass,” or “tomorrow is a new day.” This can help improve your mood and give you the motivation you may need to keep going.
Hit the Gym
If you think you would like to spend longer than five minutes on yourself try hitting the gym. Getting a good sweat on and the release of endorphins will help lift you out of any depression you may feel. Studies show that exercise is directly related to your mood. During exercise, your brain releases serotonin and dopamine, the two essential hormones for happiness. So not only are you getting your body in shape, but your overall well being, as well.
In the end, divorce is going to be one of the most stressful and hardest things that you will have to endure in your life. Don’t let this demolish your self-care routine and if anything, this should be a time where you get to spend more time on yourself. Let yourself let go of the past in order to grow with the future.
Photo by Donald Giannatti on Unsplash