Meditation allows you to control the untrained chatter in your mind.
Those experiencing a divorce are inevitably faced with a painful sifting of complex emotions. Processing a divorce can lead to feelings of overwhelm, stress, loneliness, anger, or even guilt. When these emotions remain unattended during this transition, they can be confusing and misdirected.
Introduction: What is meditation?
Meditation is the practice of focusing one’s attention, whether by doing it as part of one’s religious observance, as a form of relaxation, or as a way to increase awareness.
Meditation has been proven to have many benefits including decreasing blood pressure & anxiety levels. It offers a wealth of benefits that support the skills and abilities you need most in divorce. With simple, consistent meditation practice, you could have fewer stress-related health problems, be able to manage your emotions, make better decisions, parent effectively, and let go of bitterness and resentment. You will adjust better to your divorce through improved resilience and effectiveness during and after the divorce.
No matter which side you are on, getting over the pain of a divorce can be a long and difficult process. Here are five ways to use meditation as a tool for healing after a painful divorce.
1. Maintain a Healthy Mind and Body
Divorce doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with you (or your spouse). As you take this step toward a new chapter of your life, remember that you’ve found the courage, to be honest about your relationship. To encourage yourself, you can do the following:
- Engage the services of a therapist
- You should meditate every day
- Practice self-affirmation
- List the things you are grateful for
- Journal
- Get inspired by empowering books and blogs (such as Esther Perel’s blog)
- Listen to personal development podcasts and audiobooks (authors like Brené Brown)
It’s important to remember that the goal is to think clearly and positively, even when you apply one or more of these activities. By utilizing mindfulness, you can cultivate a peaceful divorce process and work through any detrimental thoughts.
Maintaining a healthy body will benefit your mind as well. If you fall into a pattern of emotional eating or stop following your regular healthy eating routine, it may be easy to default to this. As you navigate a challenging transition, keep your mind and body in optimal health by maintaining your regular exercise routine and eating foods that nourish you. Maintaining your balance, being productive, and being calm will help you avoid making decisions based purely on emotion.
2. Don’t hold on to your negative feelings!
Make sure that both good and bad emotions are acknowledged and addressed. To cope with negative feelings, bear in mind the six primary emotions: fear, love, surprise, anger, and disgust. Many people now point to fear and love as the foundation for all emotions, though others think it is love. Storing negative emotions is dangerous. Negative emotions must be acknowledged and confronted. Be aware of your feelings of anger, fear, and sadness. As a result of your divorce, you may feel sad, angry, fearful, and frustrated.
It is vital to release the toxicity associated with divorce. The key is to push away stress in a constructive manner.
3. Get Professional Support
This isn’t something you have to do alone. You can achieve a peaceful divorce by working with compassionate, goal-driven professionals. A variety of resources are available to help you obtain the support you need, including mediators, divorce lawyers, coaches, and therapists.
- Mediator: The mediator is your guide to staying focused on arriving at a mutual agreement with your partner.
- Divorce coach: You can get emotional and strategic support from a divorce coach. The divorce coach will assist you in identifying your issues, prioritizing them, and creating a plan to help you reach your goals during your divorce.
- Therapist: Working with a therapist can help you and your spouse communicate amicably while handling the financial and legal aspects of your divorce.
4. Mindful Meditation
To relieve stress and frustration, we are all too familiar with the expression “take a deep breath.” It works.
Meditation comes in a wide variety of forms, along with breathing techniques. Studies have shown that meditation can reduce anxiety, improve memory, treat depression, promote more restful sleep, and benefit your heart health.
The practice of meditation dates back more than 8,000 years. With mindfulness meditation, as with mediation in general, the goal is not to be distracted but to stay focused – on either the spiritual task or on nothing – to observe, to learn who we are. To discover and access your True Self, meditation is an invaluable tool. The side benefit of divorce, as with any catastrophe, is that it may cause you to ask deeper questions about yourself and your life direction. Despite the sobering effects of meditation, it is a deeply enriching process of self-discovery.
5. Live In The Moment
The number one reason for anxiety is living in the past and worrying about the future.
To focus on the present moment instead of worrying about what may happen or reflecting on past regrets, you must deliberately pull yourself back into the present moment.
By living each moment in the present, you will not give your mind the time or the necessity to ponder the future. Try to stay focused on the present instead of worrying about the future by going outside, playing a game, or doing something else to keep your mind busy.
Conclusion
Divorce can be a stressful situation for all parties involved. Separation and the proceedings of divorce can take several months and only add to the pain. By following some of the practices above, you will find that you can endure the divorce with less anxiety.
At Hussain Law, we focus on helping our clients navigate the emotional and financial challenges of separation and divorce. Our office remains fully operational, and we have implemented various new procedures that allow us to continue to advise clients seamlessly during this time. If you have a family law issue that you need assistance with, please contact Ayesha Hussain at 647-428-3919.
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