5 Fresh Tips to Help You Navigate Your Divorce with Clarity
How can you navigate your divorce with clarity and confidence so that you come out stronger?
Therapist, Divorce Coach, Divorce Mediator, Author, and Co-parenting Expert, Jill Kaufman is sharing her 5 Fresh Tips for navigating divorce with clarity and confidence so you can come out the other side feeling strong and empowered. Jill shares priceless advice on handling the emotional journey of divorce so you can feel strong and ready for your fresh start.
After going through her own difficult divorce in 2012, she made it her mission to help others who are going through divorce. She is the author of the transformative ebook and workbook entitled, "I'm Getting Divorced, Now What? A guide to navigating your divorce with clarity so that you come out stronger!" The book is the basis for her Thriving Through Divorce Group Coaching Program, a supportive community that provides a framework for accountability, momentum and ongoing motivation so that group members can exceed their goals and positively move forward in their lives.
As one of Jill's clients says, "Jill is kind, down to earth, easy to talk to and just so happens to be a professional in this area and her expertise was insightful and invaluable. It also helps that she has been through it herself and has personally shown us that not only did she survive it, but she is now thriving and has moved on. I cannot recommend Jill and her book and program enough. Jill has been a life saver for me!"
You can learn more about Jill on her Fresh Starts Registry profile, and follow Jill on Instagram for more quick tips about navigating divorce with clarity. Jill also runs a FREE Facebook group for anyone navigating divorce, which you can join here.
Five Fresh Tips to help you navigate your divorce with clarity:
Process your emotions so that you can think clearly and start moving forward in your divorce. Divorce is one of the most stressful life experiences anyone can go through. You may be feeling shame, grief, anger, anxiety and overwhelm, just to name a few. But you have to function - work, take care of your kids, pay bills, etc. and you have to make decisions that will impact the rest of your and your children's lives. You can't do that while you're overwhelmed and emotional so you need to find a way to process everything you're feeling right now. Here are some helpful ways to start to do that: Build a support network of friends, family and anyone who you can talk to and won't judge you. Express your feelings through journaling or talking to a therapist, divorce coach, support group or minister. Take care of yourself - get enough sleep, exercise, eat right, meditate, do yoga - do anything that makes you feel grounded.
Build your confidence. What are you saying to yourself? Are you positive and supportive? Or are you telling yourself that you'll never be happy and that you won't be able to support yourself and your children? It matters what you say to yourself because what you say impacts how you feel. Write down your negative self-talk and rewrite the thoughts to be positive: "I'm strong and I know that I will be ok." "I've always gotten myself out of every challenge I've encountered." "I can do this" Once you start changing your self talk you'll be amazed at how you'll feel different, you'll have more energy and have hope for your future.
Rediscover who you are. Do you know who you are? Do you remember who you were before you were married? Many people lose themselves as they spend their time focusing on their partners and children. You now have the opportunity to rediscover yourself and create an amazing new life. Think about what makes you happy, what you want to do with your time and what you like about yourself. I know that when I got divorced I hadn't been skiing in years and I used to love skiing. I committed to myself that I would start skiing and I've been doing it every year since. What can you add to your life that will give you energy, happiness and peace? This is the time to really dig deep, put yourself in uncomfortable situations and try new things. It can be so fun and exciting!
Clarify your goals and priorities. Too many people go through life without a plan. They've always wanted to travel but just haven't gotten the chance. Things don't happen by accident - you have to know what's important to you and take steps to do them. The first step is to write down what your goals are for the next month, year, 5 years and 10 years in the future. Once you do that, write down how you're going to meet those goals. Do you need to save $50 a month to put into a travel budget? Do you need to take on a part time job or cut some trips to Starbucks to save for a yoga retreat you've been wanting to go on? No one can tell you what your priorities are but you. You need to take the time to think about what you want in your life and what the steps are to get there.
As Annette Funicello says "Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful." Divorce is a devastating experience and you may feel like your life will never be the same. While that may be true, your life will be different, you still can have an amazing life post-divorce. You need to make sure that you get the support that will help you get there. There are professionals that can help you if you don't have supportive friends and family. A therapist, a divorce coach and a support group are great ways to get support. Start looking forward instead of looking backward and you'll find that life can be pretty great post-divorce!