Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. If you find yourself facing the first holiday after a divorce you might also find yourself feeling a little down. So here are five suggestions to help you get through the day on February 14th.
1. Stay away from social media
o Facebook, Instagram, other social media sites are all great ways to keep in touch with friends and family. Let’s face it though, the majority of people only post the happy things going on in their lives on social media. When you’re still healing from a hurtful divorce, seeing pictures of the flowers your neighbor received from her husband or a post announcing an engagement can cause feelings of loneliness to rear their ugly head. You’re bound to see more of those posts on Valentine’s Day so why not just take a break for a day or two. Out of sight, out of mind.
2. Treat yo’self
o Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating love, so why not show yourself some love? Go get a mani/pedi. Better yet, grab a friend and head to the spa. Schedule a massage for yourself or maybe if spa treatments aren’t your thing, buy yourself something you’ve been wanting for a while. Be good to yourself, you deserve it.
3. Go out with friends/family
o If you find yourself feeling blue this month, why not spend time with the people you care about and who care about you. Most likely, these are the people who have been supportive while you were going through the divorce so they know what you’ve been through and will keep helping you get past the rough times.
4. Go to the gym
o A lot of people find exercise therapeutic, especially after a breakup. Hit the gym to give yourself a rush of endorphins. Maybe go for a run on a nature trial or somewhere with a nice view. If that’s not your style, try out a group fitness class. You might regret eating a pint of ice cream for dinner but you definitely won’t regret squeezing a good workout during the week!
5. Volunteer
o Doing something nice for others usually makes the person doing the giving feel just as a good as the person receiving the blessing.
o Head over to a local nursing home or assisted living facility to bring some joy to the residents or maybe find an organization that feeds the homeless.
However you decide to spend your day try to keep a positive attitude and think about the good things in your life. Celebrating holidays usually gets easier every year that passes so just keep in mind that by this time next year, you’ll be in a much better place and further along on your journey with your new life post-divorce.