The old saying, “when life gives you lemons make lemonade” describes perfectly an attitude that can help you cope with life after a divorce. The divorce process itself is a grueling, time-consuming, and an overall painful experience. Emotions you can experience include anger, sadness, and grief. Taking the time to process your emotions, and learning how to make lemonade from the lemons life has given you can influence the attitude and energy you bring to your new life. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started on a sweet new journey.
Start A Gratitude Journal
One way to make lemonade out of life’s lemons is to find gratitude in all that life has given you. You may have focused so much on the negative that you have forgotten all about the positive. Consider starting a gratitude journal and every day try to record three reasons why you are thankful. Even the small things can count, such as being thankful that you had a restful night of sleep. You may also be thankful that you had a nice meal that day or that your child helped with a chore, unprompted. A gratitude journal can help you to slow down, appreciate the little things in life, and find positivity in the every day.
Try Something New
Beginning new hobbies can be a wonderful way to make a sour experience into something sweet. While there are pros and cons to the single life, one pro is that you have more time to focus on you and your own interests. Make a list of five things you always wanted to do. This could range from joining a book club to taking a painting class, or something even more adventurous, such as going mountain climbing. Think of the things you always wanted to do but couldn’t because your spouse wasn’t physically able to perform them or wasn’t interested in them. Think of the things you once dismissed as unattainable fantasies, and plan to make those fantasies a reality.
Enjoy Life’s Sweetness
Take the time to establish your new identity and become grounded in your new life. You do not have to rush to decide whether dating again is something you want to explore in the near future, or whether you are happier on your own for now. If nothing else, acknowledge how far you have traveled on your journey, and reward yourself with the sweetness of life.
Here is a Classic Lemonade recipe from Martha Stewart to help inspire you to take life’s lemons and make delicious lemonade:
Ingredients
2 Cups of Superfine Sugar (or substitute 2 Teaspoons of Stevia)
4 Cups of Water
3 Cups of Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
Directions
Pour three cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice into a two-quart pitcher, using a sieve to remove the pulp. Add two cups of superfine sugar , and stir well until fully dissolved. Mix in four cups of cold water, pour your lemonade over a tall glass of ice, and enjoy!
If you are contemplating divorce, or struggling with a high-conflict divorce procedure, let Tamara Harris, CEO of Tamara Harris LLC, be your partner as you navigate through each stage of your journey. As an impartial, experienced professional, Tamara will work directly with you to give you the best tools and strategies to manage the specific challenges and uncertainties of divorce. Serving as your Divorce Coach and advocate, she will help you see clearly during this time where emotions can often impede and derail your divorce procedure. While each member of your high-conflict divorce team – lawyers, accountants, financial advisors, and other experts – will be advising you, Tamara will help you to synthesize this information, think strategically about the options you have with clarity and purpose, and get your divorce across the finish line. Visit tamaraharris.com for more information, or contact Tamara Harris to discuss becoming a client. All inquires will be held in confidence.