Be Strong, Be Bold - 6 Ways to Be a Healthier, Happier, Better YOU After a Divorce - Sweet Shoppe Mom

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone #ListerineBOLD #CollectiveBias

Today I’m teaming up with Listerine to share my advice for how to be strong, BE BOLD to become a healthier, happier, better YOU. My experience is related to my life post divorce but you can apply if you feel like you’re in a rut and want to make changes for the better. Change is hard. but so worth it. Bring out the bold in yourself, and make changes for a better you.

#1 Exercise It not only makes you physically healthier and looking better but also mentally healthier – all wins! Being physically healthier helps you to have more energy which can help you to make even more positive changes in your life. It’s an awesome stress reliever and anyone going through a major life change has a lot of added stress.

I joined Pure Barre and I LOVE it! It’s amazing how much it has changed my body working on all those parts women want improved – arms, stomach, butts. I have arm muscles and starting to get muscle lines on my stomach for the first time in my life. The classes are a blast – great music, enthusiastic instructors, and routines are changed up every few months for variety. LTB – Lift, Tone, Burn.

#2 Find a New hobby Adding a new hobby keeps you busy and can add interest and passion to your life. Learning is always good, keeping the mind active. You may even make new friends who share your hobby.

I’ve added a few new hobbies the past few years. One of my favorites is kayaking and I hope to be able to dedicate even more time to this soon. I’ve always loved being on the water and it’s an awesome way to experience nature. It’s also great exercise and I find being out on the water a great way to clear my mind.

I’ve also started hiking more exploring Arizona’s beautiful hiking trails. I hike solo, with my son or with a local hiking club I found through meetup.com.

#3 Join a club or organization It gets you out of the house and around other people. You’ll make new friends. You’ll spend your time doing something you enjoy with people who have a common interest. It may be a group where you can network or gain leadership training which could help if you’re making career changes.

There are so many options out there:

alumni chapters
parenting groups
meetup.com – This is a great website that has groups for every kind of interest (hobbies, career, sprirital, volunteering, singles social groups)
local chapters of a national organization
facebook groups

I gave several groups a try – some were a good fit, others no so much.

Through meetup.com I found a parenting group that has been a great fit for myself and my son. We’ve made a lot of friends through the group and enjoyed a lot of activities – mom’s nights out, outings to local museums, potlucks, camping trips.

I joined the Phoenix chapter of the Junior League this past year and its been an awesome experience. The Junior League is a national women’s organization that has been around since 1901 and has chapters all over the country. The league provides leadership training and volunteer opportunities. I just finished my first year and have loved all the opportunities it has opened for me – friendships, social events, volunteering for some amazing local organizations, leadership training, and networking.

I’ve made a lot of new friends in the past year mostly through clubs and organizations I’ve joined. This has been wonderful. When you go through divorce for various reasons you lose some friends – maybe with so much going on you didn’t spend as much time with old friends, you lose your ‘couple friends’, you often change as a person and may drift apart from old friends and it’s always great to add some single friends who can relate to your new lifestyle.

#4 Dress Better Get out of the sweats or yoga pants and dress better. Do it for yourself. I feel so much better when I feel good about how I look. And other will notice – not just that you’re dressed better, but your positive energy when you feel better about yourself. To hold myself accountable, I participate in Pleated Poppy’s What I Wore Wednesday and post my #ootd (outfit of the day) photos to Instagram.

#5 Get to know yourself better Spend some time focusing on learning more about yourself and what you want out of life (personally, career, future relationship). See a counselor, read self-help books or attend seminars. There are so many options to find something that works for you and can help you to learn more about yourself. For me, I found a counselor who was wonderful and at first we focused on things related to my divorce but later on me and learning more about myself and what I want out of a future relationship which I know will be lead to more positive and healthier marriage if I decide to get married again someday.

#6 Do something for yourself every day Something that makes you smile. Learn to make your happiness a priority. Buy fresh flowers, meet a friend for coffee, give yourself a pedicure, take a hot bubble bath, enjoy something sweet. To get in the habit, I found it helped to jot down each day what I did for myself – eventually, it becomes a habit which contributes to a happier self.

Bring out the bold with Listerine. Starting your morning with Listerine can boost your confidence and help you to bring out the bold in your life. Listerine® TOTAL CARE restores enamel and leads to 50% stronger teeth than brushing alone (in lab studies). It prevents cavities, restores minerals to enamel, strengthens teeth, and kills germs that cause bad breath.

I picked up Listerine® Total Care and Listerine® POCKETPAKS® on a recent trip to my local Walmart. The POCKETPAKS are perfectly sized to keep in your purse so you can always be prepared and confident about your breath.