A young woman sitting on her bed. She has her arms wrapped around her legs and looks sad. Holiday lights are around her and are lit up

Handling the Emotions of the Holidays After a Divorce

Helping Yourself Feel Merry and Bright

Going through the holiday season right after a divorce can be very challenging. In a time of year centered around family gatherings and making other people feel loved, you might find yourself feeling more alone than you ever have before.

Know, however, that you aren’t alone. There are things you can do to help relieve the weight of your emotions and allow you to enjoy this wonderful time of the year.

Focus on Your Family

Your family may have been your saving grace during your divorce, surrounding you with love and support during one of the most difficult times of your life. Though you may still be struggling with all you are feeling, now might be the most opportune time to thank them for all that they did for you. This can be done by spending time with them but also through special gifts for them. Showering your family with love just as they did for you can do wonders for your feelings.

Set Time Aside for Healing

Sometimes you may just need to get away and heal, and that’s perfectly fine to do! Sometimes we need to be by ourselves to process our emotions and move forward. However, just be sure that you aren’t spending too much time on your own, as this can further contribute to any feelings of loneliness.

Look Forward, Not Backward

It can be very easy to look at all the family gatherings and events happening and wonder where your relationship went wrong; however, doing this can only cause you further harm. Rather than look back at what went wrong and what could have been, use this as an opportunity to look forward to what the next year might bring you. You’ve been given a new beginning—what will you do with it?

Take Care of Yourself

Your mental health matters, and one important way of maintaining your mental health is by maintaining a healthy body. You might not feel hungry, but you can’t let yourself skip meals or forego proper sleep. Be sure to get plenty of sleep at night, eat healthy meals (with the occasional holiday treat sprinkled in), and exercise regularly, as simple acts such as these can make significant improvements to your overall well-being.

Enjoy the Festivities

The holiday season is filled with all sorts of annual traditions to take part in; whether you bake special treats with family and friends, go see a holiday light show, or walk around and take in the beautiful colder weather, there are many things that you can only do during this time of year. Allow yourself to take part in these activities and to actually enjoy them as they’re happening. Stay in the moment, and you might be surprised as to how much better you feel as a result.

Maintain Your Boundaries

It may be that you and your ex-spouse have to communicate over child visitation issues or similar things. If this is true, communicate in a way that allows you to maintain the boundaries you’ve set up for yourself. Maintaining boundaries is healthy, and it prevents you from going back to places that you have been that weren’t good for you. If situations like this have to occur, be sure to keep your guard up to protect yourself.

Do You Have Questions

If you are considering divorce but are unsure of where to begin or you have a divorce-related issue that you need help with, it’s important to seek help in the form of an attorney who can guide you down the correct path forward. At Law Office of Alexandra White, PC, we know that divorce can be difficult to go through. Our commitment is to help our clients move forward both legally and emotionally, and we aim to make our clients feel at home with us.


To learn more or to schedule your free consultation, call us at (303) 647-4245 or visit us online.

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