🌿7 Gentle Ways to Start Healing After Divorce or Loss
Healing after divorce or loss is one of life’s hardest journeys. Everything you thought you knew about your future has shifted, and the path forward can feel foggy and unfamiliar. Maybe you wake up with a heaviness in your chest. Maybe there are days when you’re angry, others when you can’t stop crying, and others still where you feel strangely numb.
If that’s where you are, take a deep breath—you are not alone. There is no right or wrong way to heal. There is no “normal” timeline. Some days you might feel like you’re making progress, and others you might feel like you’re sliding backward. That’s all part of the process.
What matters most isn’t moving quickly, but moving gently. Healing doesn’t happen in one big leap—it’s a series of small steps, small moments, and small choices. Here are seven gentle ways to start healing after divorce or loss, written with love for anyone who feels lost right now.
1. Give Yourself Permission to Feel
When life cracks open, you might feel pressure to “be strong” or “move on.” You might even pressure yourself, thinking you should be further along than you are. But pushing down your feelings or pretending you’re okay doesn’t make the pain go away—it just bottles it up.
Giving yourself permission to feel is one of the kindest things you can do for yourself right now. That means letting the tears come when they rise, sitting with the anger instead of burying it, and acknowledging the loneliness when it shows up.
There’s no need to judge your emotions or rank them as “good” or “bad.” They are all valid. They are all part of your story. The simple act of saying, “This is how I feel right now, and that’s okay” can be powerful and freeing.
2. Journal Your Emotions Daily
Journaling can be like a pressure valve for your heart. When your thoughts feel tangled, putting them on paper can untangle them. When your feelings feel too big to hold, writing them down gives them somewhere safe to land.
If you don’t know where to start, try writing for just five minutes each day. Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, or making sense—just write.
And if staring at a blank page feels overwhelming, guided journals can help. The 7-Day Clarity Journal was created for moments like this, offering gentle prompts to draw out what’s in your heart without forcing you to relive every painful detail. Sign up here to get yours and join our community. We would love to have you!
Example prompt: “What is one thing I need today to feel supported?”
Writing even a single sentence in response can help you begin to hear your own voice again.
3. Reach Out for Support — Even If It Feels Scary
In the middle of grief or heartbreak, it’s easy to withdraw. It feels safer to retreat, to not risk saying the wrong thing, to not burden anyone with your pain. But isolation makes healing so much harder.
The truth is, there are people who want to be there for you—they might just not know how. Start small:
Send a simple text: “Today is hard. Could you check in?”
Join an online support group where you can share anonymously. Watch for a No Map Still Brave Community coming soon!
Schedule a coffee date with someone you trust.
Even the smallest act of reaching out reminds you that you don’t have to carry this alone.
4. Practice Small Mindfulness Exercises
Mindfulness might sound intimidating, but it doesn’t have to mean hours of meditation or fancy rituals. It can be as simple as taking one intentional breath.
Try this: close your eyes, inhale slowly, and silently count “1, 2.” Hold the breath for a moment, then exhale and count “3, 4.” Do this five times.
Or do a “5-4-3-2-1” grounding exercise:
5 things you see
4 things you touch
3 things you hear
2 things you smell
1 thing you taste
Mindfulness isn’t about erasing your feelings. It’s about learning to sit with them without being swallowed whole.
5. Create Gentle Routines for Yourself
When everything feels chaotic, routines bring comfort. They create a sense of safety and rhythm for your days.
Start with something small—like making tea in the same mug every morning, lighting a candle before bed, or writing one line in your journal each evening.
These little rituals aren’t about rigid schedules. They’re about giving your heart a few familiar touchpoints each day.
6. Limit Social Media to Reduce Overwhelm
When you’re hurting, scrolling through endless feeds can make everything heavier. Seeing other people’s happy moments might sting. News stories might feel louder.
Consider setting limits:
Choose certain times to check social media
Unfollow or mute accounts that trigger you
Fill your feed with people and pages that inspire, uplift, or comfort you
Healing doesn’t mean you have to cut yourself off from the world—it just means curating what you take in.
7. Celebrate Tiny Wins
Healing doesn’t happen in grand, cinematic moments. It happens in the tiny, ordinary ones.
When you get out of bed on a hard morning, that’s healing.
When you make yourself a meal, that’s healing.
When you laugh—even for a second—that’s healing.
Notice and honor those moments. Write them down. Tell someone. Whisper “I did that” to yourself. These small wins are proof you are moving forward, even when it doesn’t feel like it.
The 7-Day Clarity Journal was designed to hold your hand through these steps. Each prompt is a gentle invitation to explore what’s inside and release some of the weight you’re carrying. Feel free to sign up here.
Pair it with a soft blanket, a calming tea, or your favorite pen—these little comforts can turn journaling into a ritual you look forward to each day.
You don’t have to have it all figured out. You don’t have to do this alone. Start with one step today: download the free 7-Day Clarity Journal and let it guide you toward small, tender moments of healing.
Healing after divorce or loss isn’t about being perfect or strong every second. It’s about being human. Some days you’ll feel broken. Other days you’ll surprise yourself with your own strength. Every single step matters.
I see you. I’m walking this road too, and I promise—you’re stronger than you think. Your story isn’t over. Your healing is already beginning.
