Daniel Sherwin

Take a Getaway to Refresh Your Mental Health After Divorce.
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Take a Getaway to Refresh Your Mental Health After Divorce

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Most people enter a marriage with hopes of the union lasting a lifetime, but broken promises and changing circumstances can make staying together untenable. The sudden disruption of the family unit and daily routine can unsettle you and leave you scrambling for a way to move forward.

Jump Start Your Fitness Regimen

A physical journey can symbolise and lay the foundation for the beginning of a new fitness journey. Research shows that exercise boosts your mental health along with your physical well-being. A resort may offer stimulating and relaxing wellness activities. Stay moving during your retreat by taking tours and excursions by walking, biking, kayaking, or another method of active travel.

New cultures and experiences may open up unique nutritious cuisine. Review menus ahead of restaurant visits to find healthy options. Seek fresh food preparation ideas and recipes that avoid excess sugars and cheap fats and add a few to your diet.

Get in Touch With Nature

The outdoors offers a perfect time to meditate and ponder where you’ve been and where you want to head next. Forest bathing relieves many ailments and enhances your mood. Of course, you can substitute the beach, snowy mountains, or any natural setting for the forest as long as you enjoy an unhurried and peaceful time outdoors. Bring the practice back home with you for re-centering yourself in stressful moments.

Strengthen Old Relationships

Going through a divorce can be a challenging and emotionally taxing experience for anyone involved. During this time, it’s important to prioritize your mental health and wellbeing. Seeking out emotional support and counselling can be an effective way to cope with the stressors and challenges that come along with divorce.

By addressing and working through your feelings with a trained professional, you can begin to heal and move forward in a positive direction. Mental health support can also help ensure that you are equipped to make informed decisions about your future and your relationships with others.

Make New Healthy Friendships

Beware of rebound relationships to avoid dealing with unresolved issues. Spend time getting to know yourself, but don’t restrict yourself from forming new bonds with someone who supports you with honesty, integrity, and empathy. Your trip may allow you to meet new people who become lifelong loved ones.

Strengthen Old Relationships

If stress or an unhealthy marriage caused you to neglect sincere friends and family, a trip together can help you restore the relationship. Focus on each other, and don’t use the time to rehash old wounds. Steer the conversation away from your ex and remain positive. If you travel alone, reflect on the good people in your life and send warm greetings to loved ones back home to reaffirm your affection.

Plan Your Trip Now

If you’re ready for a getaway to rejuvenate your mind and spirit, use these tips to plan your trip:

  • Set your budget. Resources may be in flux as your divorce legal team guides you to a fair settlement. Figure out what you can afford and if you can travel far away or need to stay closer to home.
  • Fix your timeframe. Kids and work may affect how long you can break away. Try to at least take a long weekend so you can settle into your mental refresh for a day or two without travel.
  • Find your destination and accommodations. If you can’t head to your ideal retreat, find a spot that offers something similar. Set alerts for special offers on travel sites. Plane fares and hotel stays are often cheaper during the week and calmer because of fewer patrons.

Secure Your Home

Securing your home when you travel, by installing a home security system, locking all doors and windows, enlisting a trusted neighbor to keep an eye out, and setting lights on a timer or with smart home technology can help deter potential intruders and safeguard your property and belongings while you’re away.

Additionally, taking extra precautions such as pausing mail and newspaper delivery, removing spare keys from hiding places, and updating social media settings to avoid announcing your absence can further increase safety and security. If you’re adding security features to your home, be sure to document any upgrades as they could raise your home’s appraised value.

Take Time to Reset and Refresh

Dramatic changes require time and reflection to process the transition correctly. Use a personal retreat to rejuvenate your mental and emotional health and start the next chapter of your life on solid footing.

Are you looking for more helpful resources about life after divorce? Then add The Divorce Magazine to your weekly e-reading list!

Read more articles by Daniel Sherwin.

About Daniel

Daniel is a single dad raising two children. At DadSolo.com, he aims to provide other single dads with information and resources to help them better equip themselves on the journey that is parenthood.

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Efficient Organisation Hacks for Divorced Parents Juggling Busy Schedules
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Efficient Organisation Hacks for Divorced Parents Juggling Busy Schedules

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Daniel Sherwin
Daniel Sherwin
Founder
dadsolo.com

As a busy divorced parent, you know how hard it can be to stay organised and on top of daily tasks. With tight budgets and limited time, the challenge can seem insurmountable. Fortunately, with some simple strategies, you can keep your life organised in a cost-efficient manner. Let’s explore some of these strategies that can help you stay organized while saving money.

Spend Time Wisely

Time is one of the most valuable resources we have. It is also one of the most limited resources we have as busy parents. To make the best use of your time, create a schedule for yourself and stick to it as much as possible. Divorced parents often struggle to balance their busy schedules while also making time for their children. It’s important to spend time with your kids, especially if you have limited time together. This could include going on walks, cooking meals together, or even just watching a movie and having a discussion afterwards. Whatever you choose to do, make sure you’re fully present and engaged with your children during that time.

Organise Files

As a divorced parent, keeping track of important documents can be a challenge. Luckily, there are many PDF tools available that can make organizing files much easier. With these tools, you can merge multiple PDFs into one document, split large PDFs into smaller ones, and even convert other file types to PDFs. Additionally, if you have large PDFs that require significant time to email, this will help you find out how to make a PDF smaller so that you can share your files more efficiently.

Integrate Several Errands Into One Trip

Taking multiple trips around town to run errands can be time-consuming and expensive. Try planning out several errands into one trip so that you only have to leave the house once instead of multiple times. This will save both time and money since you won’t have to pay for fuel multiple times or waste time driving back and forth between destinations. Plus, it’s more eco-friendly too.

Schedule Cleaning

Setting a cleaning schedule helps make sure that there is always a clean space at home without having to spend extra energy cleaning every day. This is especially helpful for busy parents who don’t always have the extra time or energy for deep cleaning during their regular day-to-day activities. By scheduling specific days for certain tasks such as laundry or dishes, parents can save time while still managing to keep their homes clean.

Prepare Meals in Advance

Preparing meals in advance doesn’t just save time; it also saves money by allowing busy parents to buy ingredients in bulk when they are on sale or use leftovers from previous meals. Meal prepping also makes it easier to cook healthy meals at home rather than eating out, which can get expensive over time. Additionally, preparing meals ahead of time allows parents to freeze portions for later use.

Create a Stress-Free Home

A cluttered home creates stress because not being able to find things wastes precious minutes out of our already-busy days. Setting aside a few minutes each day to declutter will go a long way towards creating an organized space that feels less chaotic and stressful when trying to get things done around the house. Additionally, this will free up more time down the line since everything will be easier to find when needed.

Being a busy parent is no easy feat but with some simple strategies like organizing files with PDF tools, combining errands, setting a cleaning schedule, and decluttering, staying organized doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult anymore. These cost-efficient strategies are designed specifically with busy divorced parents in mind so they can keep their lives organised while saving both money and valuable time.

Read more articles from Daniel Sherwin.

About Daniel

Daniel is a single dad raising two children. At DadSolo.com, he aims to provide other single dads with information and resources to help them better equip themselves on the journey that is parenthood.

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5 Tips For A Stress-Free Vacation Post-Divorce

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Daniel Sherwin
Daniel Sherwin
Founder
dadsolo.com

Has anyone ever told you that they needed a vacation after coming home from their vacation?

You may think they’re crazy, but statistically, they’re right.

In 2010, the Applied Research in Quality of Life journal surveyed 1,500 participants on their happiness before and after going on vacation and found that most people didn’t feel any happier after returning from their travels. Why? Isn’t time away supposed to refresh and renew your spirit?

Exactly. It’s supposed to. But what they found is that the ‘average’ vacation is more of a stress-inducer than a stress-reliever.

So another study was done to determine if the type of vacation taken had anything to do with post-vacay stress, and you guessed it: stressful travels undermine the benefits of time away. After going through the stress of a divorce, a vacation can be just what you need to recharge, reset, and return home ready to conquer the world.

So how do you plan a stress-reducing vacation instead of spending a boat-load of money to feel even more frazzled than you would have had you stayed home and watched Netflix? Here are the results, by the numbers:

It’s All In The Details

A whopping 74 percent of vacationers in the survey felt that the most stressful aspect of time away were travel details like securing transportation, navigating unfamiliar territory, and time wasted because of these issues.

Maybe you’ve seen a family member trying to maneuver a busy tourist city or driving on the opposite side of the road overseas. Not very relaxing, is it?

Travel will be different this time around, as you will be solo and won’t have a spouse to depend on when things get confusing or stressful. While there will always be some uncertainty while exploring a new place, your best bet in combatting this common source of vacation stress is to have a concierge or travel agent make your transportation arrangements.

Other options include using public transportation to avoid driving unfamiliar roads and budgeting a little extra to cover the cost of taxis, rideshares, and cabs that can get you where you want to go, while you relax and enjoy the view from the backseat window.

Be Prepared

Back to those details: If you’re a procrastinator, it may be helpful to note that 90 percent of those who reported having a stress-reducing vacation planned their trip more than one month in advance, while many of those who reported having a less than stellar time were still planning at the last minute.

Want a better chance at an enjoyable getaway? Plan sooner rather than later. Make hotel and flight arrangements. Decide what attractions you’ll visit and when. Schedule downtime for relaxation, and arrange for any transportation needed to explore your destination.

The best part about your trip this time around is that you have no one to worry about but yourself. You can finally try out sunset yoga or go zip lining. Being prepared is key, but you now have the luxury of being able to change your plans on a whim.

Go Far, Far Away

In 2013, researchers at the University of Vermont looked to see if there was a correlation between tweets that include ‘happy words’ and the tweeter’s location. What they found is that the number of positive keywords in a person’s tweets significantly increases the further that individual is from home.

So did this finding hold up in the survey conducted on vacationers? Yup. Eighty-four percent of the ‘best’ trips reported were to another country.

And what about staycations, where your own backyard is seen as your travel destination? Well, you might avoid the stress of transportation while navigating the same roads you drive every other day, but 94 percent of vacationers found travelling to new places more meaningful than trying to vacation at home.

Besides, it will be nice to get far, far away from everything associated with the divorce. Use this as a time to deal with your emotions and do a little bit of self-discovery. A vacation can be a great way to switch up your perspective and return home with a whole new outlook.

Get Yourself A Guide

Travel details and transportation arrangements were two of the biggest factors that contributed to vacation stress, but right up there with them was not feeling safe in a strange place. On the stress-reducing trips, vacationers reported having a guide, host, or knowledgeable companion during their visit.

Of course, if you do decide to use a guide, book a reputable one prior to your trip. Don’t just get in the car with the first friendly native you meet at the airport. This person might actually be harmless, but it’s not a chance worth taking. Remember, solo travel is as safe as traveling with others as long as you have the right safeguards in place.

Secure Your Home

While vacations themselves can cause stress, worrying that your home, possessions, and pets are safe while you’re away can make you uneasy and unable to relax as well.

Take precautions: hire someone to take on dog walking or dog boarding duties, have the post office hold your mail, put your lamps on timers to turn on and off as though someone is home, have neighbors take turns parking in your driveway to give the illusion of traffic, and even consider notifying your local police department that you’ll be away. It will take even more planning, but if it puts your mind at ease so you can get your money’s worth out of your vacation, it’s worth doing.

Vacations are meant to be an escape, so don’t let yours turn into something you’re running away from. Keep these tips in mind and give yourself the relaxing trip you deserve post-divorce. You deserve it.

ABOUT DANIEL

Daniel is a single dad raising two children. At DadSolo.com, he aims to provide other single dads with information and resources to help them better equip themselves on the journey that is parenthood.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

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Fitness tips for the single parent

Fitness Tips for the Single Parent Stretched on Time, Money, and Motivation

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Daniel Sherwin
Daniel Sherwin
Founder
dadsolo.com

In a single parent’s never-ending list of obligations and responsibilities, personal fitness usually falls pretty low.

It’s not that single parents don’t want to focus on their own health and wellbeing, it’s just that other things often take precedence.

Some common maxims about fitness include it costs too much, I’m too tired, and I simply don’t have the time. While you may be stretched thin on cash, time, and motivation, you can still make fitness a part of your life.

Here’s how.

Invest in some inexpensive but versatile home equipment

You do not have to join a gym to get in shape. This monthly cost often turns would-be fitness-focused single parents away from their goals. With bills and child expenses adding up, who has the money to spend on a gym membership?

So don’t get one.

Instead, invest in some inexpensive home equipment. It may cost a little bit up front, but that’s all you’ll pay. First, grab a yoga mat. They are inexpensive and can serve as the base for all your home exercises – not just yoga (although yoga is great for both the body and mind). Here are some of the best cheap yoga mats.

Next, purchase some resistance bands, small free weights, and maybe some kettlebells. With this basic equipment, you can perform thousands of total body workout routines. For more essential but inexpensive home gym equipment, check here.

Make your own motivation

We’ve seen studies show that being a fitter and healthier person simply is not enough motivation to get people to work out. People need to pretty much trick their brain into exercise motivation enough that they then rewire it to want to exercise. This sort of motivation does not just happen. You really have to make it yourself.

One good way to motivate yourself is through reward. Real rewards.

Like we said, the reward of just being healthier isn’t enough. You really need to tie your exercise into rewards that you truly want. This can be food-related. It can be a purchase you really want to make. It can be watching an episode of your favorite TV show. Whatever it is, reinforcing your exercise with rewards creates what one neuroscientist calls a “habit loop”.

“An extrinsic reward is so powerful because your brain can latch onto it and make the link that the behavior is worthwhile. It increases the odds the routine becomes a habit,” notes DailyBurn.com.

Another way to build yourself some motivation is to involve other people. Whether this means joining a group exercise class or telling a friend about your fitness goals and making them hold you to it, it sometimes helps to give yourself some added accountability.

Every time is workout time

If you don’t feel like you have the time to build exercise time into your daily routine, then you’re not alone. Yet plenty of busy people find a way to exercise. How? Well, the first step is to make exercise important enough in your own mind to make time for it – no matter what.

Instead of watching TV for 20 minutes, exercise. Get up 20 minutes earlier than normal to exercise. And re-conceptualize what a workout means…what if just 5 minutes was the perfect amount of time to squeeze in a quick workout? It is!  And always be thinking of creative ways to fit exercise into the activities you already do throughout the day.

Think about little things you can do. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk/ride your bike to work if you can. Go on walks during your breaks at work and hold mobile meetings. Keep those weights or resistance bands you bought in your office and do some quick workouts as you peruse documents.

It’s certainly not easy to focus on fitness as a single parent with so much else to focus on. But it is possible if you set yourself up with inexpensive but useful home equipment, get into a mindset that exercise is everywhere, and give yourself some true motivation to succeed.

ABOUT DANIEL

Daniel is a single dad raising two children. At DadSolo.com, he aims to provide other single dads with information and resources to help them better equip themselves on the journey that is parenthood.

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com

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manage your mental health as a single father

How You Can Manage Your Mental Health as a Single Father

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Daniel Sherwin
Daniel Sherwin
Founder
dadsolo.com

It can be hard to find proper balance with the difficulties of being a single father.

Work, duties, and sheer exhaustion can all get in the way of a father taking care of himself. It’s vital to remember that you’re not alone.

Not only is there support out there for you, there are others in your shoes who can offer advice for how to best take care of yourself without shirking your responsibilities.

Armed with good advice, you can truly not only see your children thrive, but you yourself can lead a deeply fulfilling life.

Mental Health

The way we eat, drink, love, and cope with stress, depression, anxiety, and sadness all play a big role in the state of our mental health.

Sometimes, it’s necessary to take a step back and ask yourself if you’re doing the right thing for you, and not the easiest thing. Reuters reports on a Canadian study suggesting that single fathers claim mental health issues twice as frequently as fathers with a partner.

This means that there is extra importance in single dads looking after themselves and getting the support they need to not only be the best parents they can be, but to feel the best they can, too.

It can be hard to find time, but single fathers need to.

Even if you don’t feel you need the assistance of a therapist, there are many things you can do to better look after your emotional and mental well-being. Exercise, yoga, and meditation are all ways you may be able to lower your stress levels and center yourself.

Learning how to disconnect from social media is thought to improve one’s emotional state as well.

So much of what we see on social media platforms, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, or even Twitter, is crafted to give the appearance of perfection, one that is absolutely false. By limiting your exposure to these fake perspectives, and not comparing yourself to what is arguably impossible, you may find yourself feeling more content in your day-to-day life.

Financial Concerns

Meditation can only do so much to ease the worries of a single parent. One of the largest stresses in life is that of money.

It’s hard enough raising a child on two incomes. Cut that in half and even add more than one child, and stress can seem insurmountable. However, there is there’s help out there for you out there for you.

Even if you don’t qualify for government assistance, you can visit a food pantry or apply for free school lunches and various grants. If you can find the time and energy, you can consider you can consider freelancing as a way to earn some extra money.

You can pet sit during the week and dog walk on the weekends. It may be a nice way to give your kids the experience of a pet without the financial burden involved as well. Even an extra $50 a week can go a long way to providing healthy groceries, paying down debt, and giving you some peace of mind.

Have Some Fun

This can be hard to do. Exhaustion, money worries, lack of time, and all sorts of reasons can get in the way of having fun with and without your child. If your child is an only child, he or she may look to you as the main source of socialization and fun at home.

Playing with your little one is very important but so is your own sense of well-being of well-being. You need to have time to yourself. A way to make sure both you and your child get what you need is to schedule some playtime.

A family game night is a great way to do that. It’s something you both can look forward to, and it allows you to have time to be an adult and decompress without forcing yourself to play games when all you want to do is unwind.

There are going to be difficult times as a single parent and obstacles that may seem daunting, even overwhelming. With that in mind, it’s all the more important to invest in yourself and find balance between responsibility and self-care. Give yourself some respite and appreciate all that you have achieved as a parent and as an individual.

About Daniel

Daniel is a single dad raising two children. At DadSolo.com, he aims to provide other single dads with information and resources to help them better equip themselves on the journey that is parenthood.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

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