Taking care of yourself as a mom can be challenging at the best of times. When you add a divorce into the mix, self-care can feel downright impossible. Don’t give up hope yet, though. Here are a few tips to help you re-establish self-care routines as a newly divorced mother.
Make Your New Home or Apartment Your Own
After having shared a space with another person for so long, it can feel like your identity was lost. That’s why it’s so important to reclaim your own space in the world. And that starts with creating a space that truly feels like it’s yours. If you’re keeping the house, then this is the perfect opportunity to redecorate. Choosing to buy a new house is also an option to consider. Either way, this is your chance to put your passion and your inspiration into the space you inhabit. If you want fresh flowers in the house every week but couldn’t have them because your spouse didn’t like them, now is the time to splurge! Plants are known to improve mood, so it’s no surprise that over 90% of Americans prefer to have homes with lawns. If you are among those with a green thumb, planting a garden is also a great way to make your new space completely unique.
Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
Living a healthy lifestyle is about so much more than nourishing your body with nutritious food. Health is an all-encompassing thing, which means you need to take into account the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of living. If you want to live a healthy lifestyle, it’s important to pay attention to all of these things. It can feel tough after an event as traumatic as a divorce, but taking it one step at a time can help. Make one therapy appointment. Go to the gym one time this week. Keep a daily journal, even if you only write one sentence some nights. Eat at least one fruit or vegetable today. If one step is all you can manage, that’s okay! Building up a healthy routine one step at a time is still great.
In addition to maintaining your health on your own, make sure you’re keeping up with regular medical appointments, too. When you don’t have the stamina to maintain healthy habits 100% of the time, you can lean on your doctor to help you devise strategies to improve your health. This includes dental health, too. And now is the time to prioritize your own needs! If you’ve been meaning to invest in Invisalign, talk to your dentist now. Invisalign is gaining increasing popularity with over 1 million people having been treated using this method.
Spend Time with Friends and Family
This may be the last thing you want to hear right now as you are probably dying for a break from the kids but family time is more important now than ever. Schedule a family game night or go out to the movies with your kids on Friday night. If one of your friends has children of their own, all the better. Set a date to get together with your bestie and the gang of kids for a Saturday at the park. The bonus is that you’ll get to vent about your divorce while the kids run around and play.
Think About Your Next Career Move
Post-divorce, finances might be looking a lot different for you. You may need to increase your income now or find a job with more flexible hours. This may not necessarily involve a drastic career change. You may just need to supplement your current income, which can be achieved with a little creativity. You could try some freelance writing from home, sell crafts or garden-grown vegetables, or even try voice acting. The last one may sound strange, but voice actors are trained in diversity to accommodate different regions and are used by many companies around the globe. Whatever you choose to do, remember that you’ve already made it this far and that there’s no limit as to how much further you can go.
Self-care after your divorce looks different for everyone. The key is to have an idea of how you can move forward. With any luck, these tips will help you do just that.
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