The divorce process is difficult and can feel isolating, but you don’t have to go through it alone. Below are some suggestions to help you navigate through this chapter to begin the healing process. 

Divorce is one of the most stressful life events to go through. While your entire relationship and possibly family dynamic is changing, it’s important to take care of yourself. 

While things may seem chaotic and overwhelming right now, it won’t last forever. As you go through this time of transition, there may be a few things you can do to help yourself with the process.

Healing and stress management is different for everyone but here are a few suggestions and resources to assist you with moving through this phase.

 

  • Support system – This can be any group or individual that you feel comfortable leaning on in a time like this. It might be a family member, friend or co-worker that you know you can go to for venting or meaningful advice
  • Process your feelings – There is no “right” way to process a divorce. Acknowledge whatever feelings are coming up for you so that you can work through them in a healthy way. Journaling for just a few minutes a day can help with this, or short meditations may help alleviate stress when you’re going through difficult moments. There are many free meditation apps out there like The Mindfulness App, Calm App, and Headspace App that can help put your mind at ease with just a few minutes of use a day
  • Support Groups – Going to a support group either in person or online can be especially helpful if you don’t feel like you have any options in your immediate family or friend groups, or if you don’t feel comfortable sharing information about your divorce with them. Psychology Today offers a tool to search for divorce support groups near you. 
  • Counseling – Divorce brings up a wide range of emotions and seeing a counselor is a great way of dealing with them. There are many ways to find a counselor specific to your needs. BetterHelp is an online platform that matches you with licensed and board-certified counselors depending on the type of counseling you’re looking for. There’s also a directory through Psychology Today that searches for therapists near you by using your zip code   
  • Explore New Hobbies or Interests – When going through big life changes it can be beneficial to get out there and start something new. It doesn’t have to be something drastic either. Been meaning to read more? Start that new book you’ve been thinking about. Always wanted to take a cooking class? Now’s a great time to sign up!

These tips and suggestions are very general and you might find it beneficial to take a few suggestions and mix and match until you find something that works for you. 

But hopefully if you take anything away from this post, it’s that self-care is important ESPECIALLY in stressful or difficult times like these. So take whatever steps you need to in order to take extra good care of yourself!