Anybody that has not gone through the divorce process will have an understanding of how stressful it can be. When we are going through the divorce process, it’s going to have a major impact on every aspect of our lives, not least our well-being. When somebody close to us passes away, it’s accepted that we go through the grieving process, with people experiencing shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance in some order. Some people believe that the stages of a breakup involve the same components of grief. So what does it take to look after your mental health during this time?
Reflect on How You Are Feeling
You may be on a rollercoaster of emotions and with a million questions to ask. You may be worried about the future, about who pays for college in a divorce, or how you are going to keep yourself financially afloat. The most important thing we can do during this process is to reflect on how we are feeling and make our well-being a priority. Because we can be stuck in the past thinking about the things we did wrong, but also worrying about what is coming up, the fact is we have no control over either. Understanding how we are feeling right now will give us some opportunities to consider how we are behaving towards people in our lives. We can experience a lot of pressure with our minds racing. When we take time to reflect, this can stop us in our tracks and reduce any symptoms of anxiety.
Recognizing Physical Symptoms of Stress
If you experience hyperventilation, shallow breathing, tension in your muscles, blurred vision, problems getting to sleep, or grinding your teeth, there are so many physical symptoms that we need to understand how to dampen down. It’s not easy, but here are some things that you can do to help you reduce the physical signs of stress.
- Identifying your triggers. Working out what will trigger these feelings will help you understand when you are going to feel more stressed so you can reduce the pressures you feel. There are plenty of practical solutions that can help. From mindfulness meditation to deep breathing, there is a lot around, but it’s about playing around with the ones that really suit you.
- Making lifestyle changes. You are going through a period of extreme change, and in many ways, you may want to keep life at a constant so you have some balance and routine, but this might be a good opportunity for you to make a few simple lifestyle changes that will make a big difference. You don’t necessarily have to hit the gym 7-days a week; instead, you could start developing your hobbies and interests but also learn how to unwind.
- Building your support network. You can talk to people and get an understanding of how the right people in your life can make a big difference. The fact is that we can be tinged with a lot of regret, but we can learn to be better people when we start to speak to the right people who are supportive and actually do away with people that have a negative impact on our lives.
