With how much of an upheaval divorce is, it makes sense you’ll look for ways to lessen the pain. That’s why it helps to practice good coping methods when it comes to your life post-divorce. However, some people end up using unhealthy coping methods. These methods will just end up making things harder for you…
Unhealthy Coping Methods: Divorce Depression
Drugs & alcohol
Some of the most well-known unhealthy coping methods are drugs and alcohol. It’s pretty apparent why someone would use these things to cope. After all, divorce tends to leave people feeling quite sad or depressed. Taking drugs or drinking alcohol can be seen as a way for them to bring on temporary feelings of pleasure and happiness.
Still, they’re unhealthy in a number of ways. For starters, there’s the negative health effects they bring. Plus, they won’t actually help you truly cope with your divorce. All you’d be doing is ignoring how you feel, rather than tackling it head-on and making positive changes.
Unhealthy eating
Unhealthy eating is another one of the unhealthy coping methods people make use of. When we eat things we like, we tend to feel pretty good. As a result, recently divorced people might fall back on indulging on some of their favorite meals to feel better. However, this can quickly get out of hand.
The thing is that most people’s favorite foods tend to be unhealthier than other, usual choices. Constantly eating these unhealthy food will add up over time into unwanted weight and other negative health effects. This can end up making you feel even worse, and so it’s something you certainly want to avoid.
Isolation
It’s understandable to want to spend some time by yourself after your divorce. Some people need that “alone” time to process what’s happened and prepare themselves for the future. However, too much isolation can cross the line into being another example of some common unhealthy coping methods.
Keeping yourself shut inside your house all the time won’t make you feel better about your post-divorce life. Instead, it’ll only cause you to focus on what you’ve lost. What is better is to start living your post-divorce life as you want to, and doing the things you enjoy with friends and family.
