The holidays are hard enough as it is to survive with all your marbles about you, but it is so much more challenging when you are going through a divorce also. It can be hard to feel thankful or be in the giving spirit when you feel like your world is crumbling and you’ve nothing to be thankful for. But, as hard as it may seem, this is the perfect time of year for you. Why? The holidays are meant to remind us that we should treasure what we have and who we have in our lives because there are millions who do not. Yes, we may experience depression because of our relationship ending, but you have to dig deep.
We’ve compiled a few tips that will help you transcend the darkness and get into a celebratory mood.
- Be patient. The people in your life will try their best to cheer you up, but it is still important that you should be able to grieve your losses. You may wake up feeling like there is an elephant sitting on your chest, but be patient and allow your family and friends help you through it.
- Simplify your holidays. When you go through a divorce in your later years, you will probably start to reevaluate your priorities. You may have moved into a smaller home and spend less money. You probably have less time for leisurely activities if you recently went back to work. This is your opportunity to look at all the chaos in your life and simplify it.
- Be flexible. The holidays are usually full of traditions, even though you may not enjoy some of them. You needn’t follow traditions that you don’t like and you can even create your own. The holidays can be tricky if you have children because undoubtedly the other parent will want to spend time with them also. This is the perfect opportunity to create new traditions that will suit yourself, your children, and even the other parent so that everyone has a good holiday.
- Focus on others. The holidays were never intended for it to be all about you. In fact, the holidays are truly meant for being grateful for your life, giving to others, and spreading joy, happiness, and love. Who ever said that holiday celebrations should only include your family? Invite everyone and anyone that you want to; after all, the family isn’t about blood, but who you cherish and keep close to you.
- Don’t find a reason to postpone happiness. We understand that a divorce isn’t something that you can easily bounce back from and you will probably have a few moments where you need to wipe away some tears, but this doesn’t mean that you should be alone. You need to spend some time figuring out what you want to celebrate and focus on those. This transition from being in a relationship to suddenly not being in one isn’t always the easiest, but it could help to make it more meaningful for everyone involved.