How Art Can Help You Through The Aftermath of Divorce

Signing physical and online divorce papers is accompanied by a never-ending flood of feelings, including disappointment in yourself, uncertainty, and guilt. Today, we discuss how art can help you care for yourself in the aftermath of a breakup and how to deal with the torrent of emotions accompanying the decision to terminate a relationship. We will also address how to care for yourself after a split.

It is possible to do your online divorce filing quickly if no children and considerable marital assets have not been accumulated during the marriage. Even if the breakup is amicable and relatively quick, it will still trigger a roller coaster of feelings on the inside of both parties. 

Ex-spouses may experience a huge increase in the stress they are going through due to the simplified divorce process. Going to court, filing documents for divorce, dealing with lawyers, dividing up assets, and determining what comes first when talking to the kids are all sources of tension contributing to the overall stress level.

On the other hand, both partners can think back on their marriage, do a final accounting, and “unload” some of the resentment and bitter sentiments built up due to their expectations not being met.

Additionally, people are denied such space when going through a hastened divorce procedure, and “unreleased” resentments can become the source of more latent, but no less disastrous, crises over time, particularly if the individual has not sought counseling from a psychologist. 

In addition, there are many different approaches to art therapy that you may take that will enable you to combine the aspects of your personal life that are most important to you with the aspects of your professional life. Using such practices in your divorce kit makes it possible to live in a manner that is both kind to the environment and emotionally healthy.

Art as Self-Help

There is a method through which you can freely express your creativity while allowing your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to flow freely through you. Art therapy is a term that accurately defines this technique. Art therapy may be a healthy, earth-friendly technique to process these sentiments and work through your issues, which can be helpful when going through a divorce and can bring on a wide range of emotional emotions. 

Because it enables patients to communicate in a language, they are more familiar with – the language of symbols — art therapy can be a more beneficial kind of psychotherapy than traditional techniques (the unconscious).

Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy and self-therapy that uses creative expression. This can take the form of visual art (painting, drawing, sculpting, modeling, etc.), moving images (moving pictures), sound recordings, musical compositions, dance (the physical expression of emotion), literary works, and dramatic performances. Art therapy can also be done by individuals alone. 

Art therapy is accessible to people of all artistic abilities and can be done by anyone. Producing something and finding a way to express oneself is more valuable than the end result.

Art as Self-Help

Children of divorced parents typically experience various negative emotions, including rage, sadness, and worry. You may start having symptoms like trouble sleeping, forgetfulness at school, and losing interest in things you used to find enjoyable. 

Children, in contrast to adults, lack the emotional maturity and communication skills necessary to adequately explain their feelings following the separation of their parents. This makes it difficult for children to talk about what they are going through when their parents divorce. Art therapy allows for the open and honest expression of feelings via symbols in a safe and supportive environment. 

In this way, you encourage children to talk openly and honestly about the feelings that they are experiencing. The primary objective of art therapy is to provide a nurturing environment in which people of all ages can express and understand their emotions, reclaim a sense of agency in their lives, and rediscover hope for the future in the face of profound loss. This is the primary objective of art therapy in helping people of all ages cope with the effects of divorce.

Art-Therapy Instructions

1. Find a location where you won’t be interrupted for at least half an hour, and preferably an hour, at the very least.
2. Get out a piece of paper in the shape of an album or a notebook page, as well as the sketching utensils you choose to use, such as crayons, felt-tipped pens, or pencils.
3. Create four even divisions across the landscape-oriented page of the notebook.
4. Begin by centering your attention on the first section of the document. Try probing yourself, “How do I feel right now?” To start, try to identify the first emotion that springs to mind. The table that illustrates a variety of emotions can also be of some assistance. Is there an even higher level of fury than that? Resentment? Sadness? Disappointment? What is it that everyone is talking about right now?
5. After you’ve done that, the next question you should ask is, “What color is this emotion?” What does it appear to be like in particular? Make use of the photographs that were produced to fill in the first spot. After you have finished filling out the first area to your satisfaction, which means that it accurately represents your feelings, you can go to the following section.
6. You should ask yourself, “What else am I feeling outside of that primary emotion?” In what way would you characterize the tone of this sensation? Therefore, what does this appear to be like? Please finish the second half; thank you.
7. As a result of this, it is required that photos be placed in each of the four positions.
8. Look over the finished work, and then think about your feedback on how you feel about it. Do you have any corrections or additions to make to this?
9. Carry out the procedure twice a week to observe how the pattern evolves. Take careful note of the dynamics of your own personal growth and progression.

Everyone involved in a divorce goes through a difficult time, but art therapy can help you cope with the feelings that come along with it. In addition to this, one’s capacity for original thought, introspection, and visual and figurative thinking will increase as a result of participating in these activities.

(Article written by Lucy Bennett)

If you are experiencing severe grief or depression, we urge you to seek a medical professional. If you have questions about depression or substance use disorders. call phone number: 1-(800)-662-HELP (4357). MentalHealth.gov: This website provides information about mental health disorders and available treatments.