After the kind of loss divorce brings, it makes sense that you’d want to look for ways to cope. However, you have to be careful about just how you cope. In fact, there’s a lot of unhealthy coping methods which people end up using. Knowing what these are can help you avoid making similar mistakes..
Unhealthy Coping: What To Avoid
Unhealthy diets
One common form of unhealthy coping is through eating. More specifically, it’s what people tend to eat, and how much they eat. Many people like to lean on “comfort food” during times of stress. After all, eating food we like does make us feel happier.
The issue is that most people tend to have unhealthy comfort foods, like candy or ice cream. Constantly eating foods like these can lead to unwanted weight gain and potential health issues. Those side-effects can end up making you feel worse than you did before. That’s why it’s important to be mindful of your intake.
Hiding away
Isolation is another unhealthy coping method. Wanting some alone time after your divorce is totally natural. It might be better for you to process what’s happened and prepare for the road ahead in a quiet space by yourself. Still, too much isolation can be bad for you.
If you completely block yourself out from the rest of the world, then you won’t start to feel better. Rather, you’ll feel more alone than you did before. A better alternative is to slowly ease yourself back into social things. Start to hang out with friends, go out to local events, or anything else which will help get you moving and around others again.
Drinking & drugs
One of the worst unhealthy coping methods to get involved with are alcohol and drugs. The thing is, it’s apparent to see why someone might turn to them for coping. The temporary feelings of pleasure or relief they bring can be appealing to someone who feels depressed from their divorce.
Of course, the negatives they come with far outweigh any benefit they could have. In the end, you’re only ignoring how you feel, rather than actually confronting those feelings. Only once you can do that, can you really move on.
