Supporting Your Wellbeing During Relationship Breakdown

It is World Wellbeing Week 2023 (26th to 30th June 2023) and in this blog, FLiP’s Counsellor & Family Consultant Jo Harrison discusses how best to support your wellbeing when going through a divorce or separation. 

Wellbeing may feel a far off concept to someone struggling with the emotional and practical upheaval of divorce but given that we know separation is a hugely stressful event we are always thinking at FLiP about how best to support our clients’ wellbeing as they navigate the landscape of relationship breakdown.

Here are some of the principles to think about when it comes to supporting wellbeing on divorce (and if you are a parent these principles will naturally help your children):

• Take care of both domains of your separation. Divorce isn’t just a practical event. Get support for yourself in the emotional side of things too to have space to think about this big change in your life. Even if you have initiated the divorce, it can be so helpful to get professional support in the emotional and psychological side of things if you are struggling or wanting to think about how to make your life work.

• Work on your support network. You may have to come out of your comfort zone to ask friends for help, particularly if you weren’t the social one in your relationship, but it’s important to think about the people in your life you can go to if you are feeling lonely or struggling. Friends and family are crucial aspects but it’s also important to think about whether you can have someone at work who you can let know about what is going on. Professional help can be something to think about with your GP, or for example through our support services at FLiP.

• Get a feel for the landscape of divorce so that you can have some idea of what to expect and not feel so alone with it all. The professionals working with you can help you with this and there are also some really useful resources and books which can give you an idea of what others have found useful. For example here at FLiP we have recently discovered the book How to Heal A Broken Heart by Rosie Green which tells her story of divorce in a poignant, funny and educational way.

• Carve out time away from the divorce process and make boundaries around when you are and aren’t going to deal with the legal side of things (preferably not last thing at night). This is something you can discuss with your solicitors on an ongoing basis about when you might like to be contacted and when you’d rather have some time away from it.

If you are interested in contacting FLiP to find out more about how we can support you with your wellbeing on divorce, contact counselling@flip.co.uk or visit our dedicated counselling page here.

Jo Harrison is very experienced in working as a therapist with individuals and couples who are separating. A former family lawyer, Jo has a depth of experience in being able to understand the legal process. She can work with clients, either individually or as a couple, to support them through the process. Clients can meet with Jo for an initial consultation at our offices in Central London to think about what help is required. This can be at any stage before, during, or after a divorce or separation. Jo is the author of the book “Five Arguments All Couples (Need to) Have” (published 2022).