Don’t Let That Divorce Ruin Your Holidays

If this is your first holiday after a divorce, it's only natural to feel sad and lonely. However, you can overcome these feelings and still have a special holiday that warms your heart.

The key to a happy holiday season is to find something else to focus on. Focus, instead, on the freedom you have to do things for yourself and others this holiday season.

Divorce is a New Beginning

If you've recently been divorced, the holidays can be especially challenging. Feeling alone and vulnerable is hard, and it's more complex when everyone around you seems to be celebrating. You can celebrate, too!

This year, strive to celebrate your:

• Independence
• New home
• New opportunities
• Relationships with friends and loved ones

There are always things to be thankful for if you look for them. Consider keeping a gratitude journal, where you reflect each day on the people and experiences of that day that you're grateful for. Focus on what's good in your life, rather than what seems to be missing.

Of course, it's normal to feel a bit down or to be a little uncertain about the future. However, an overall change of focus can get you through the holidays with good cheer. Give of yourself to other people who have less, and your perspective will quickly change for the better.

Give to others to get holiday rewards. When you're feeling sad, it can be easy to retreat into a shell and spend all your time alone. Instead, make a choice to focus outside of your personal situation. You can help children in need, visit the elderly or spend time at the animal shelter. There are always ways to help.

Volunteer This Holiday Season

Volunteering is one of the best ways to feel better during the holidays. It keeps you from spending your free time over-thinking about things. It also helps you remember that you have a lot of things to be thankful for. Even if your marriage ended differently than you'd planned, there are plenty of good things in your life that you can still appreciate.

Your mood will lift when you have a chance to help others and make a difference in their lives. It's one of the easiest ways to see that you still matter and that you have a lot to offer to someone who might be hurting, too.

Surround yourself with positive people who will encourage you to use your gifts and talents. Nurture the friendships that nurture your soul and bring out the best in you. Be that kind of friend for others, and you'll experience a constant flow of positive energy that will fuel you toward the happiness you were born to experience.

By focusing on others and hanging around positive people, you can survive and even thrive through the holidays – even after a recent divorce. Let today be a new beginning and the start of the renewal you crave by changing your perspective. When you do, you'll experience a warm and memorable holiday season.

Still worried about the holidays? My post Going Single For The Holidays may help!