Even if you don’t typically have anxiety, going through a divorce is incredibly stressful, and you may find yourself experiencing feelings of anxiety related to your divorce.
Divorce anxiety is relatively common and even expected during this uncertain time. People often experience varying degrees of stress and anxiety due to higher levels of fear, anger and emotional distress, and unpredictability of the future.
Getting a divorce is usually one of life’s major transitions. Below, we will talk about signs of divorce anxiety and ways to help yourself deal with extra stress and anxiety to feel and function better.
Signs of Divorce Anxiety
The symptoms you experience with divorce anxiety may be mental, physical, and emotional. Physical symptoms such as poor sleep, a quick heartbeat, or sweating are shared by many people. Mentally you may find yourself concerned about the future; you may feel overwhelmed or experience a loss of interest in socializing or fun activities. Emotionally you may feel more sensitive or be quicker to react harshly.
Common Feelings and Thoughts During Divorce
As your family transitions into something new and different, some people experience a loss of identity insecurity. If you have children, it may even be that you will only see them half the time. You may have to sell your home and move. Divorce can bring up many feelings, including some that may surprise you. You may experience feelings and thoughts of:
- Anger and frustration about the divorce process and how things are turning out
- Loneliness and grieving the end of your marriage, the transitioning of your relationship from companion to co-parent, and possibly even to being combative
- Embarrassment or shame and feeling as though you have let yourself and other people down
- The concern about the future and worrying that you will not be able to adjust
- Worry for your children and how they will deal with the divorce
- Worry about child custody, child support, and alimony
- Concerns about California divorce laws and how they will affect you
When going through a divorce, you mourn more than just the loss of your spouse. You’re also mourning the loss of a mutual home, your financial security, mutual friends, and your sense of identity built around being married and who you were with your spouse. You may feel this way even if you initiated the divorce.
9 Ways To Deal With Divorce Anxiety
Finding effective methods to deal with divorce anxiety is essential. Doing so can help you build lifelong skills you can fall back on during challenging times.
1. Grieve
Allowing yourself to grieve is healthy and essential to your mental and emotional health. Make sure you give yourself time and space to process your feelings and acknowledge the challenges of divorce. If you avoid doing this, you may find your feelings resurface later. Leaning on good friends who can give you a supportive ear and a therapist as you go through your divorce is significantly beneficial.
2. Develop A New Routine
Create a new routine and develop healthy habits that you can stick to daily. Ensure that you are eating and sleeping well, and create a rhythm that supports your mental and emotional health.
3. Journal
Beginning a journal or maintaining one if you already keep one is an excellent way to help make sense of your feelings and thoughts. Journaling is the perfect way to work through complex emotional issues.
4. Learn or Do Something New
When you’re going through a divorce, you’re letting go of part of your past. This is the ideal time to take up a new hobby or travel somewhere you’ve always wanted. By switching your focus to the future, you give yourself something to look forward to in your new life. Following your dreams and hope are essential for dealing with anxiety and stress.
5. Exercise
Even though anxiety is a psychological state of mind, it can also develop physical symptoms affecting your appetite, sleep, and overall interest in life. By moving your body, you benefit both mentally and physically, improving your overall health, which will help to alleviate some of your divorce anxiety symptoms. Get outside and move for at least an hour a day in the fresh air.
6. Build A Self-Care System
Self-care looks different for everyone, and it’s a big umbrella under which you make sure you’re doing little things to take care of yourself. This may include taking a bath, turning off your phone, getting a massage, or having a weekly lunch date with a friend. Whatever helps to nurture you and take care of your needs is perfect to put in your self-care toolbox.
7. Practice Gratitude
Whenever your life is stressful or struggling is the perfect time to count your blessings. Start a nightly practice of writing down what you’re grateful for each day, whether it’s in a gratitude journal or you make your gratitude jar. It helps us focus on the good parts that make us happy, not just the challenges in our life.
8. Connecting With Family and Friends
It is the best time to reach out to people you can trust. When going through a divorce, surround yourself with people that can support you, and schedule weekly visits with friends or family doing something fun. Whether you’re going to the movies, a food festival, or an overnight trip to the beach, hanging out with close friends and family goes a long way in helping to turn off the anxiety and stress you are feeling around your divorce.
9. Join A Support Group
Joining a support group or an activity group, whether it’s hiking, running, painting, writing, birdwatching, or even learning to dance, building community is an essential part of thriving through a divorce. Group sites such as meet up, finding a local organization you want to support and volunteer with, or even your local animal shelter provide great opportunities to meet new people. You can also seek a divorce support group to meet other people through the same process.
10. Hire An Expert Family Attorney
The divorce process in California can be complex and overwhelming. Hiring an experienced divorce attorney is essential, and you will ensure that you and your family are protected. A family law attorney can help ensure a proper parenting plan is put in place, fair division of assets and property, alimony, child custody and visitation, and more. Having an attorney you can trust will alleviate a lot of stress and anxiety for you because you have someone watching out for your best interest.
Azemika & Azemika, Devoted To Family Law
At Azemika & Azemika, our law firm’s practice is exclusively devoted to family law. The attorneys at our firm are experts in handling divorce, child custody and visitation, child and spousal support, paternity, adoptions, and abandonment. Located in Bakersfield, California, in Kern County, our primary objective is to provide our clients with knowledgeable, affordable, and aggressive representation. Contact us today for a consultation!
