Divorce is often an exhausting, nightmarish experience to go through. While no two people experience this situation the same way, almost everyone has varying levels of mental, emotional, and physical reactions to it.
When stress levels are high enough, divorce can actually start impacting your health. Symptoms can range from interrupted sleep habits to negative effects on your cardiovascular system. Here are five ways that divorce can adversely affect your health.
1. Anxiety
One of the top contenders is anxiety. You might worry about facing the world alone, how court proceedings will play out, if you’ll get the custody you want, and having to sell the house. Experiencing anxiety about all of these and more is perfectly natural, but too much anxiety is a bad thing.
Other symptoms quickly manifest from anxiety. Controlling behavior, heart palpitations, and sleep disturbances are among the more common. Relying on an attorney to help you with a divorce or child custody issues can help alleviate some of that building stress.
2. Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome happens when you are experiencing multiple dangerous conditions at the same time. These often include high levels of cholesterol, drastically gaining weight, and high blood sugar as well as blood pressure.
All of the above places you at a higher risk for cardiovascular issues and diabetes. Women are also more likely to experience metabolic syndrome than men based on a wide variety of factors and pre-existing conditions. Make sure to talk with your doctor if you experience any symptoms of this syndrome.
3. Depression
People often feel like failures when their marriage comes to an end. Others are hurt by cheating, abuse, and verbal assaults. All of these can quickly lead to depression, which can have devastating consequences on your health as well as your ability to make decisions. If you feel depressed, it’s vital that you seek out a therapist.
4. Substance Abuse
Not everyone has stellar coping mechanisms, but adding in anxiety and depression can drive someone to substance abuse before they know it. Excessive drinking, smoking cigarettes, or using drugs to cope with your feelings is only going to make matters worse.
More than that, substance abuse is going to have a severely negative impact on your health. Smoking hurts your lungs and cardiovascular system, while excess drinking damages your brain and liver. Those are just a few downsides, however, which is why it’s better to seek support from loved ones than from a bottle.
5. Insomnia
All of the heightened emotions you’re experiencing will undoubtedly lead to sleep disruptions. While some people may find themselves sleeping excessively, most will find themselves in bouts of insomnia as they rack their brain with the possibilities surrounding their divorce.
Depression and anxiety are likely to bring about insomnia, as well. This is also a primary reason behind why people turn to substances, as most can help people fall asleep. However, there are healthy ways to overcome insomnia.
Melatonin, exercise, and relaxation techniques can all help. So can finding the right lawyer to make your case in court. This Temecula Spanish family lawyer, for instance, can put language barriers to rest. Regardless of what you choose to do, remember that you need to take care of yourself during the divorce process. Maybe more so than you have in the past, but part of divorce is starting a new chapter in your life.