Five Ways to Boost Your Mental Health

Go to the Gym

Going to the gym is a great way to recharge mentally and physically—though it may not feel like it at the time. However, not everyone likes going to the gym. For many people, it’s very difficult to go to the gym when you’re constantly having to drag yourself there. If this is you, this may be your sign to find a physical activity that you actually enjoy doing. Not everyone can find the time and mental energy to go to the gym if they absolutely loathe the experience of being at the gym. There are many ways to stay in shape. Group fitness classes tend to be a very good way for people to get fit and make new friends along the way. During the divorce process, it’s important that you take care of yourself physically so that you can feel your best mentally.

Keep a Clean House

Most people aren’t fans of living in a nasty, cluttered home. Even if your home isn’t gross, it might still be stressful if there’s clutter everywhere. Keeping a clean home is a great way to be proactive in managing your stress. If you’ve ever seen shows where people have to hire professional cleaners to come in and clean their homes, you’ve probably gotten a pretty good idea of just how difficult it can be to climb out of a depressive episode once you’ve gotten into the habit of letting things go. Unfortunately, dishes, laundry, and debris, can pile up rather quickly—which can make it even more daunting to clean up the place, resulting in further depression. Depressive spirals can happen to anyone, and people are especially vulnerable to depressive episodes during divorce.

Start Eating Your Own Food

Start eating your own food that you made at home. This is a great way to stay healthy and keep your budget under control during the divorce process—which will also reduce your stress levels, which is very important during divorce. If you’ve never cooked your own meals before, don’t worry: it gets easier over time. You can start by looking up recipes you’d like to make and then creating a meal plan. Find out how many meals do you need to cook per week. Then, create a grocery list of everything you’ll need for those meals. Make sure you read the recipes ahead of time so you know exactly how long they will take. You’ll likely have to make a schedule of when you’re going to cook, if you don’t need to cook every night.

Make New Friends

Making new friends as an adult is difficult, but it’s an important part of having a strong sense of self. Volunteering is a great way to make friends. Others have success by attending after-church activities. Platforms like MeetUp are dedicated to helping adults find other adults who are interested in the same hobbies. You might also be able to find local groups who are interested in your same hobbies on Facebook. Making new friends, however, should be the focus. Dating before your divorce is finalized is generally inadvisable. Therefore, it’s likely in your best interests to stay off of dating apps when trying to make friends. Save the dating apps for trying to meet a new partner. If your divorce has been finalized, make sure you’re ready to date someone before seeking out a new relationship.

Find Things You Enjoy

If you’re getting divorced, make sure that you find things that you actually enjoy doing to fill your time. One of the most difficult parts of divorce is the constant loneliness. While many people are struggling with loneliness (likely due to the rampant digitalization of society), there’s an especially alarming male loneliness epidemic. The divorce process can be devastating. Therefore, it’s extremely important to fill your time with hobbies that you enjoy. If you have children, you may end up having a lot of free time on your hands now that your ex is taking the kids for a while. An empty house can be difficult to come home to if you don’t have fulfilling hobbies to spend your time on. Find things you genuinely enjoy and make sure you make time to engage in those hobbies.