When it comes to divorce, moving on can seem impossible. After all, by ending something as permanent as your marriage, you may wonder how life will feel normal again. But by taking the right steps you can begin moving forward with life after your divorce.
Moving Forward: Tips for Moving On After Divorce
Don’t Avoid Grieving
When people picture moving on, they think of feeling better and being happy. But in order to get there, you must first allow yourself to grieve. Because this is painful, most of us like to skip this step. However, letting yourself cry, feel loss, and experience pain is a necessary part of moving on. In fact, by avoiding this you’re only denying those emotions and prolonging this stage.
Lean on Friends and Family
One step in moving on after divorce is finding comfort in your friends and family. As your marriage ends, it can be natural to want to shut people out. Odds are, you may not want to discuss your divorce and you don’t want to hear their opinions about your failed marriage.
However, it’s important to have a solid support group from your friends and family. You don’t want to begin shutting yourself out from those that care for you. In addition, you will experience loneliness in the days ahead. And family and friends can be there to offer your companionship and support.
Distance Yourself From Yourself Ex
If you have children, it can make this step in moving forward pretty tricky. In order to move on, it’s important to distance yourself from your ex. By remaining too close too soon, you may not be able to separate your relationship from your friendship. So give yourself time and space to adjust to life apart before you are friends with your ex.
Find a Good Distraction
Nothing is as helpful in moving forward as finding a good distraction. In order to do this, you’ll want to find something you like or enjoy doing. A new hobby can give you something constructive to focus on instead of your divorce. In addition, it can introduce you to new friends at a time when you feel very alone.
By using a hobby as a distraction, you can change your mindset to enjoy singleness instead of hating it.
In short, moving forward after divorce may be hard. But the key is to enjoy the process and give yourself time to go through the stages to move on.
