Are you going through a divorce? Are you already divorced? We all know how hard this process can be. Going through a divorce or legal separation is often extremely stressful and can change one’s life entirely. Handling the legal and financial matters involved while also facing the emotional stress of ending your long-term relationship is a lot for a person to take on. In the midst of numerous changes, it can be easy to let certain things slide, like taking care of oneself. If you’re in this situation, you’re going to be making important decisions that will affect your future. If children are in the picture, the choices you make will also have a significant impact on their lives, too.
When faced with these decisions, you’ll want to be able to focus in order to make the best choice possible for yourself and your children. Working to improve your self-care during your divorce will help you to be more focused and better prepared to meet the challenges you’ll encounter during this difficult time. Here are five easy ways to improve your self-care during a divorce.
Improve Your Sleep Hygiene
Sleep is essential for the healthy functioning of both your brain and body. All your organs get replenished during sleep while your brain integrates experiences and learning. During these difficult times, you may have trouble sleeping or you may be inclined to sleep too long during the day. But, in either case, it’s essential to maintain sleep hygiene. In other words, continue going to sleep at the same time you always have and continue maintaining the same conditions in the room where you sleep. Proper sleep will help you heal faster, both emotionally and physically.
Change your Environment
The space in which you call home has a huge influence on your emotions. A setting full of negative reminders or bad memories is only going to keep you thinking back on those times and make it harder to move forward. To improve your self-care, improve your space. This doesn’t mean you have to throw out all of your old furniture and spend loads of money on new things. Simply moving around furniture to create a new layout in your home can be a huge help in making it feel like a new space. You may even consider refurbishing some things. Perhaps you can update an old couch or table to make it feel like you have brand new things in your home without spending all of the money.
Get Some Exercise
Exercise is a vital ingredient in recovery, with a number of mental benefits that include easing symptoms of depression and anxiety. But it is also difficult to prioritize on days when you only want to be in a dark room. Start small. Try taking a walk around the block or going on a mellow nature hike. Or go to the gym and take a friend with you. Regular exercise has numerous health benefits, one of which being a positive boost in one’s mood.
Try and get in some daily stretches and about 30 minutes of physical activity every day. That might sound like a lot to add to your already busy schedule, but even doing household tasks like vacuuming or walking the dog can count towards your exercise. Playing with your kids is another great way to get some physical activity into your day. Your children will surely enjoy running around the yard or a local park with you.
Support System
Just like how self-care involves doing what you love, it’s also about being around those who make you feel your best. Connect with your best friends and closest family members for support during your divorce. Talk to them about how you’re feeling. Lean on them when you need to. During tough times, it’s those whom we love most that really come through for us. If you’re too busy or stressed to cook dinner one night, reach out for help. The may come through with a homemade meal for you and your kids, or instead, you could all go out and grab a bite. Being around those who bring you up will help to lighten your mood when you need it most.
Pursue Your Interests
During your divorce, a good chunk of your time will be taken up by the divorce process itself. Even if you’re just at home thinking about your divorce, it’s taking up your time. A big part of self-care is taking the time to do the things you love. So when you aren’t tied down to a responsibility, get out and do those things. Involve your kids as much as you can so that you can share those things you love with them. If you’d rather just sit at home watching movies, that’s okay too. However, you should consider incorporating that into something new. Join a movie club or go out to the theater to catch a new flick. This will change up your environment and give you a chance to experience something different.
Talk to a Therapist
A divorce is extremely taxing on one’s emotions and it can devastate one’s self-care. While doing all of these things can really help to improve your self-care during a divorce, sometimes it’s best to seek guidance from a professional. Mental health professionals, such as counselors and therapists, are trained to help people going through difficult life transitions. They can provide expert information and useful advice to you when you really need it. Don’t hesitate to get the help you deserve to get yourself back to the best you can be.
Making it a point to maintain or improve your self-care during a divorce can make a huge difference in helping you to move forward in a healthy way through this process. When you’re able to take care of yourself, you’re better able to offer the best care to your children as well. Sometimes, in the midst of a busy schedule, we cannot make time to visit a clinic for a therapy session. This is why there is online therapy available for the busy ones. Visit us at www.gateway2counseling.comto schedule an appointment online. We work around your schedule and have therapists available even on weekends. Best of all, our sessions are only $49.
Going through a divorce? We can help.