Taking Care of Yourself While your Divorce is Pending

Getting divorced can take quite a toll on your health. When you are working through the legal parts of your divorce, like determining how your marital property will be divided and creating a parenting plan for your children, it can be easy to let your body succumb to the physical and mental stress that comes with a divorce.

Take care of yourself; you are the only person who can do so. Keep the following in mind as you begin, work through, and complete the divorce process.

Keep Eating a Healthy Diet and Exercising

Weight gain is associated with divorce. This is for a few reasons, such as:

• When you are busy with your divorce, it can be hard to find time to exercise. Putting your workout routine on hold will lead to weight gain;
• Preparing healthy meals can become too much of a chore to manage alongside your divorce-related responsibilities. It is easy to pick up fast food on your way home from your lawyer’s office or rely on frozen and convenience meals; and
• Many people self-soothe with alcohol. Binge drinking is associated with numerous health problems, including weight gain.

Some people actually lose weight when they are getting divorced, and usually, it is through unhealthy means like skipping meals because of their anxiety. Whether you are prone to eating too much or too little when you are stressed, it is important for your physical health and your mental clarity that you maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen. 

Get a Physical and Discuss your Divorce with your Doctor

Another key component of keeping yourself healthy is continuing to get regular physicals and preventative care. At your next doctor appointment, tell him or her that you are working through a divorce. This can give some context to any symptoms you are experiencing. Your doctor might also make recommendations for lifestyle changes based on your existing conditions and how the stress of divorce can exacerbate them.

Do Not Neglect your Mental Health

Your doctor might refer you to a mental healthcare professional. Your mental health is as important to your well being as your physical health, so do not ignore signs of depression or anxiety. It can be easy to ignore these symptoms or to write them off as simply the side effects of being stressed. But if you find yourself feeling irritable, losing interest in the things you once loved, anxious, or unable to escape a mental fog, talk to a mental healthcare professional about your symptoms. 

Work with an Experienced Orlando Divorce Lawyer

When you are working through a divorce, your focus is on the divorce and providing for your children. These are important, and it is just as important that you take time for yourself and invest in your own health. One way to keep your head in reality is to work with an experienced Orlando divorce lawyer who can be your best advocate. Contact the Law Offices of Steve W. Marsee, P.A. today to set up your initial legal consultation in our office.

Resource:

prevention.com/sex/relationships/a20448176/divorce-and-health-effects/