10 Opportunities for “Self-Care” While Going Through a Divorce
Buy yourself flowers. They don’t have to be expensive. Trader Joe’s has inexpensive ones. Put them somewhere you can look at them often.
Take a break from social media. Now is not the time to scroll through pictures and stories of other couples professing their love for one another or waxing poetic about how fantastic their significant other is. And we can all do without all of the “It’s National Marriage Day” type proclamations asking people to post how long they’ve been married.
Join a book club or start one of your own and invite people who would be welcome in your living room once a month or so.
Take a bath…with lots of bubbles. And if it includes a glass of wine – I won’t tell. (just use a plastic glass…broken glass in the tub is the last thing you need!)
Make a vision board. Even if you’re not crafty…this is easy. Buy a blank canvas and some mod-podge and cut out pictures of places you’d like to go, words that resonate with you, images that make you smile…design a representation of a life you dream of for yourself. Then hang It somewhere you can see it on a daily basis.
Try something new. You can find Groupons and such to try anything from a pole dancing class to one of those salt immersion baths to foot reflexology. Scroll through the possibilities and pick something you’ve always wanted to try.
Rearrange your space. Are you living in the same house you lived in with your spouse? Move the furniture, paint a wall, or hang some pictures that make you smile. Are you a fan of quotes or certain song lyrics? Print them out and frame them to remind yourself who you are and who you want to be.
Write a letter (or an email) to yourself saying whatever’s on your mind. It could be a rant about your ex-spouse, your situation, or just something specific that made you mad. Tuck it away for your eyes only…you’ll be surprised how cathartic it feels just to get the thoughts out of your head and down on paper.
Treat yourself to some fancy tea, or a milk frother for your coffee, or a cute “cocoa bomb” to dissolve in a cup of hot milk and savor the flavor and the warmth they provide.
Move your body. Find some type of exercise that you enjoy or can at least convince yourself to do. It doesn’t matter what it is…yoga, walking, running, tai-chi…it doesn’t matter as long as it gets you off the couch and your body moving.