Loneliness after divorce sucks! Holidays alone period can suck unless you want to have ‘down’ time. Whether you share custody or not, if you have children and are not able to celebrate with them it’s depressing! After all, most holidays are all about children and family. So how can you get through the holiday alone without feeling depressed?
There is no magic wand or one answer that suits all people, but I do have some suggestions. Think outside the box. Whatever you’ve done in the past can only serve as a reminder of your loneliness and loss during the holiday. Do something different. Create your bucket list and plan to have fun.
What is completely opposite of what you’ve done in the past?
Volunteer to help with a local charity mingling with others while participating in a service project.
Invite others who are alone over and do a theme dinner or mystery game.
Go away somewhere different that’s fun, entertaining and not a place you would take the kids.
What have you wanted to do, but never had the courage, money, or time to do?
How to Deal with Loneliness after Divorce
Spend some money on yourself and treat yourself to something wild and wonderful.
Go to an adult movie, horror or chick flick – whatever you like but don’t usually participate in.
Call another single friend and go on a vacation.
Who do you know that you could have fun with?
Make a conscious choice to enjoy the time with others who are upbeat, fun and enthusiastic.
Throw a party!
Go on a group adventure trip.
One of the most difficult challenges after divorce is to readjust to single life. Your previous ‘couples’ friends often don’t know how to communicate now that you’re divorced. Suddenly you feel excluded and the odd one out, especially over the holiday season when traditions have been established. It’s hard to be the parent left home alone.
With divorce rates as high as they are you might gain comfort just in knowing you aren’t the only one alone or going through this. It’s temporary! Everything is temporary. You can decide to make the best of it. Use this time to do what you want to do but don’t when you have the children. You can stay home alone, feel sorry for yourself and be depressed or start doing things that are fun with or without others. The choice is always yours to make!
It is not easy, no matter how you slice it. But, you DO matter! How you feel matters and it’s up to you to make the choice of how you would prefer to feel. Choose today to do something, anything to feel better.
