Emotionally Navigating the First Valentine’s Day After a Divorce

The end of a marriage can be devastating, no matter the circumstances, and it takes time to process the loss. Holidays like Valentine’s Day can be difficult, especially if it’s the first one after a divorce. It may be painful, but you can learn to navigate the different emotions you’re sure to feel. Here are a few ways you can shift your focus and view Valentine’s Day as a way to love and value yourself because you are truly worth loving.

Shift Your Mindset

While divorce is a door closing on one chapter of your life, it presents an opportunity to open a new one. Shifting your mindset is the first step to regaining your sense of self. Instead of viewing Valentine’s Day through a lens of what you don’t have, look at it as a chance to celebrate everything you do have. Focus on the love of family, friends, and yourself. Even if you’ll be alone, there are people in your life who cherish you regardless of your relationship status. A small change in your mindset can help you better process the feelings and emotions that may come up on Valentine’s Day. Don’t push them down; feel and acknowledge them, and then remind yourself of all the love you still have around you.

Focus on Self-Care

Self-care is a beautiful form of love where you sow into your emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to spoil yourself with a few of your favorite things. You may eat a delicious meal, take a spa day, or take yourself shopping. If money is tight, why not go on a hike, visit the beach, or try a new recipe? Self-care isn’t indulgent, selfish, or arbitrary; it’s essential to healing, growth, and discovering who you are post-divorce.

Get Together with Friends

Many people, even those in relationships, choose to spend Valentine’s Day with their friends instead of a partner. Celebrating your love for the people who stand by you no matter the ups and downs give the holiday so much more meaning. Whether you’re planning Galentine’s or Palentine’s activities, being surrounded by friends who love you will make the day special.

Give Back

One of the best ways to feel better when you’re hurting is to help someone else; it takes the focus off your pain and turns it into something beautiful. Giving back on Valentine’s Day by volunteering at a shelter, nursing home, or church can help keep life in perspective. The satisfaction and joy you’ll have from lifting up others may be so wonderful you’ll make giving back a new Valentine’s Day tradition!

Valentine’s Day after divorce can be difficult, but you can get through it by focusing on self-care and the people in your life who love you. While it may take time, as you embrace this new journey, you’ll rediscover who you are. Before you know it, you’ll fall in love with the strong and capable human looking back in the mirror, and Valentine’s Day will be about the best kind of love: self-love.