Strategies for Your Divorce ToolBox: Mindful Movement

Strategies for Your Divorce ToolBox: Mindful Movement by Jeff Zimmerman

The stress of divorce is felt through our emotions–and experienced in our bodies. It’s natural to feel tight and tense in response to common feelings of divorce, including fear, anger, and sadness.

The experience of these emotions can be so powerful and overwhelming that many detach from their bodies. In other words, people separate from these somatic experiences as a defense, especially as a marriage unravels and physical intimacy becomes emotionally painful.

Mindful movement can assist you in a supportive way by bringing a greater sense of release, openness, and calmness that can be applied through the day. As you become more consciously and mindfully attuned to your body, your body and mind can begin to reintegrate in the world around you.

Mindful movement can be practiced through a meditative physical experience, such as yoga, walking a labyrinth in a meditation center, or hiking a gentle trail in quiet solitude. During these moments, you can ask yourself questions like:

  • What do I notice?
  • What are the sounds that I experience?
  • Are my hands warm or cold?
  • How does the air feel?
  • What happens when I change my breathing pattern and breathe calmly?
  • What do I feel?

These mindful questions are meant to help you get in touch with yourself as a complete person: mind, emotions, and body.

Mindful movement has the potential to bring up strong emotions. You can let the emotions come to the surface, release them, and then let them pass. It is possible to experience emotional pain, hold it, look at it, release it, and then feel OK, even as you hold onto other more pleasant emotions such as joy and gratitude.

Journaling is another useful way to work through challenging emotions. The combination of journaling, movement, and music are all techniques that can be utilized during divorce recovery.

Please contact us for more information.

My Divorce Recovery

Jeffrey Zimmerman, Ph.D., ABPP
JeffZimmermanPhD@MyDivorceRecovery.com
212-485-0033

Lauren Behrman, Ph.D.
LaurenBehrmanPhD@MyDivorceRecovery.com
212-799-7921