Self-care may prevent stress and anxiety during divorce

On behalf of The Law Offices of Steven M. Bishop, Attorney at Law, A California Corporation on Saturday, December 14, 2019.

During your marriage, you may have come to put others before yourself. You may have done your best to meet the needs of your spouse and your children, and though you likely took some time for yourself too, your main focus was on your loved ones. However, now that you are going through a divorce, you may need to turn the focus toward yourself.

Certainly, you want to make decisions that will not have negative impacts on your children, but taking care of your own well-being during this time is vital too. Divorce proceedings can quickly become overwhelming, and if you do not practice self-care, you could easily end up stressed out.

What can you do?

Self-care does not have to be anything extravagant. In your case, it may simply involve being conscious of your actions and the way you address your emotions during this time. Some ways you can help combat stress, depression and anxiety as you go through the marriage dissolution process include the following:

• Eating right: You may be like many other California residents who are stress eaters. However, if you reach for the junk food often during your divorce, you may only feel worse, whereas eating healthy fruits and vegetables could boost your mood.
• Having support: At times, you will undoubtedly want to talk about how you are feeling about your divorce. It is best to avoid having such discussions with your children, so you may want to reach out to close friends, family or even a therapist to work through your feelings.
• Thinking about yourself: Because you may have considered your spouse before making many decisions while married, you may still find yourself wondering how he or she is feeling during this time. However, you may want to instead focus on your own feelings and efforts to move on.
• Exercising: Getting physical exercise has numerous health benefits, including helping you feeling happier, and giving you a reason to get together with friends or to take a class to make new friends.

At first, focusing on yourself may seem foreign, but with time, you can find ways to help yourself through your divorce in a healthy way. Of course, in addition to having emotional support, you may also want to ensure that you have legal support as your case moves forward. Consulting with an attorney can allow you to better understand what you may face in the near future.