Spring is the season for new beginnings and awakenings. The daylight hours become longer, the winter freeze begins to thaw out, and many people become more energized, inspired to make changes in their lives – both inside and out.
Since your divorce became finalized your top priorities have likely been focusing on sustaining a “normal” life for your children and the sorting and purging of your emotional baggage.
These priorities are important, but as you make progress in your emotional and mental well-being and finding a happy balance within your family, your home may become disorganized and cluttered with reminders of a past you’re trying to overcome.
While you are allowing yourself a fresh start, refresh your home and reinvent your space as your own.
Divorce: Reclaim Your Space
After a divorce, your home goes through a transition of sorts, moving furniture, boxes and other things in and out of your space.
If you have children, it may be easier to let them take over and have access to all of the house while your own personal space may be slowly disappearing. Think about a space in your home that doesn’t feel like it’s “yours”.
Maybe it’s your ex’s old office or the bedroom the two of you shared. Perhaps standing in the space feels suffocating, overwhelming and even toxic. Rather than avoiding this space, reclaim it as your own.
Switch around the rooms in your home or create a space of serenity where you can have time alone, do yoga, meditate or even work on craft projects; make it your “happy place”. You may want to partake in some color therapy and put a new coat of paint in certain spaces of your home.
Completely Clean Your Home After Divorce
Many people don’t consider thoroughly cleaning their home until they move out, but by completely cleaning your current home, you’re not only starting over, but getting rid of excess waste. Grab a mop, gloves, open the windows, turn on some tunes and start cleaning each room of your home.
Don’t rush through the process, make it meaningful. As you dust away the cobwebs, vacuum the dust bunnies and wipe marks off of the walls, take a moment to celebrate this cleanliness represents your new and improved life. Have kids? Get them involved!
Toss Out the Old, Get Organized
In addition to physically cleaning your house from top to bottom, it’s time to decide what you’re going to toss and how to get organized. For example, taxes after a divorce can be complex.
While taxes, post-divorce, may vary depending on where you live, according to Charles R. Ullman & Associates, the spouse receiving alimony must pay taxes and child support payments are not tax deductible for the payer or the payee; make sure you have all the proper documentation.
After you get your paperwork in order, it’s time to get rid of some excess baggage of your past. One thing to consider, before you start tossing out photos and other mementos, is your children.
While you may be ready to throw out photographs or family souvenirs, you may want to pack them away for your children. If you’re not ready to get rid of anything, pack up certain photographs and other mementos and sort through them at another time. Don’t keep them on the wall as a constant reminder of your past.
Matt is a regular contributor to Support for Stepdads. He wrote a very popular article, “Feel The Benefits of Daily Gratitude.” Click here to check it out.
