Divorce is one of life’s most difficult transitions. You are not only breaking-up with the person you thought you’d spend the rest of your life with, but you are also probably dealing with custody and financial challenges.
As with anything in life, there will be ups and downs throughout divorce and if you are currently in a hard stage, I’ve heard many clients say that meditation helped them.
Just a quick FYI, if you read meditation and mediation, you’re not the only one. But this is an article about meditating (clearing your head), NOT mediation (relationship intervention).
Meditation is a practice that has been around for over 8,000 years. In order to meditate, you sit quietly and focus your mind to achieve a mentally clear state. There are many benefits to meditation, and now with popular meditation apps such as Headspace and The Mindfulness App, it’s even easier to achieve emotional zen.
There are many different types of meditation; some of the best-known include:
- Guided meditation. This type of meditation relies on visualizing places or situations you find relaxing.
- Mantra meditation. This type of meditation has you repeat a word or mantra over and over as a way to keep distracting thoughts from coming in and interrupting your meditation.
- Mindfulness meditation. This type of meditation is based on being in the moment and accepting your current situation. During this meditation, you are urged to remain aware and present in the moment rather than dwell on the past or worry about the future.
Here are just a few benefits of meditation:
- Meditation can reduce stress
Sitting quietly and breathing while clearing your mind is a proven way to take control of your emotions. Not only does it slow breathing, but it can help you clear away emotions from the day.
- Meditation can reduce anxiety
During life – but especially during a divorce – our minds are lost in thought. They are going back and forth between to-do lists, worrying about the past, and worrying about the future, which can lead to feeling overwhelmed. By meditating, it quiets the mind and promotes relaxation which can help move anxiety from the forefront of the mind.
- Meditation can improve memory and attention span
This decade has brought with it an Internet explosion, and one of the side effects is people’s attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. However, meditation can help you learn to focus again by taking time to sit quietly rather than engage in texting, emails, social media, and the like.
Going through a divorce is emotionally difficult and draining. Meditation might be one small thing you can do to help cope.
Finding a divorce lawyer who understands the emotional drains is important and can also help reduce stress. Feel free to contact me to learn more.
