Healing Hobbies After Divorce: Rediscover Yourself Post-Split
Valentine’s Day is coming up, and you’re wondering what to do with yourself since your split. Maybe you’re wondering this daily these days. It can be hard to rediscover yourself after your divorce. One way to do this is to rekindle old hobbies or discover new ones.
Hobbies after divorce can help reduce stress, lift your mood, and redefine who you are as a newly single person. Tap into your creative energies, release mood-boosting hormones, and let curiosity lead you on your path to healing from divorce. But what hobbies should you try? Here’s a curated list of our favorite divorce recovery activities!
Reading
When I moved to a new town after my divorce, the first thing I did was join a local book club. I made new friends and rediscovered my love for reading. Whether you love reading fiction or listening to audiobooks, reading reduces stress and gives the mind a safe space to go. Post-divorce, the mind needs something to do besides circle itself or practice old thinking patterns.
Brush the dust off the library card, join a book club, or start one for divorcees, and see where the magical world of reading takes you.
If you feel inspired to tell your own stories, try journaling, poetry writing, or even digital content creation!
Movement & Fitness
Fitness and movement are broad categories, we admit, but rebuilding yourself includes ceasing that endless wallowing. Get up, get moving, and make it fun! Whether you aim to lose a few pounds, strengthen your heart, quit smoking, learn to deadlift, or join a tennis team…there’s no time like the present!
Look for local fitness or dance classes in your area, or fitness tutorials on YouTube.
Get Creative, Get Crafty!
Another hobby I embraced after my divorce was one I’d lost during my divorce – needlepoint. More specifically, cross stitch. In fact, I recently contributed to a 10-year project along with over 115 other stitchers. When the project is completed, we’ll enter it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the world’s largest cross stitch. Cool, huh?
Crafting entertains that part of your mind that bends itself toward boredom, restless anxiety, and even self-depreciation. Use that mental energy to learn a new craft, practice one you love, and fill your heart with the joy of creating things. Try these:
Painting or drawing
Amigurumi, crochet, knitting
Diamond painting
Candle making
Macramé
Jewelry making
Refinishing furniture (fun for thrift store finds!)
Learning photography
Making music or learning to play an instrument
It doesn’t matter if you are a creative genius…just express what’s inside you and feel the inspiration!
Expand Your Mindfulness
You hear the word “mindfulness” everywhere now. But what does this even mean? How is this a hobby? Mindfulness, itself, is a practice of the mind. A state of viewing the world. Finding hobbies along these lines can help you build a new, healthier outlook on life.
Mindfulness defined: Being fully present in the moment, observing thoughts and feelings without judgment. (I recommend reading The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh.)
Mindfulness-centered hobbies:
Meditation or breathwork
Yoga or Tai Chi
Journaling with intention
Mindful walking in nature
Spiritual reading or Tarot
Forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku immersion)
Mandala coloring or drawing
Guided gratitude practices
Sound baths
Get Outdoors!
Similar to how mindfulness can shape your human experience, so can nature help us to see the bigger picture. Through it, we can find healing and forgiveness as we navigate the tough seasons of our own lives.
You don’t have to be an outdoor adventure type to reap the benefits of the natural world. Simply take the time to notice:
The moon and sun in their forever dance, spanning the sky.
The resilience of trees.
The endlessness of water, always moving in the air, the ground, the seas.
You, here on this Earth, a part of it all!
Pick a day to visit your local park. Sit and observe, listen, feel. Find a nature trail to hike. Or go all out and plan a solo camping trip (trust me, it’s an experience!). Immerse yourself in birdwatching or plant a garden.
Become a Foodie
A foodie is a person with a hobby-level passion for food. They love exploring new cuisines, trying new restaurants or recipes, or even foraging for natural food sources. Take up baking, grilling, learn to meal-prep your macros, or take a class in cake decorating – the possibilities (and the dishes to enjoy) are endless. Cooking can be self-love therapy!
Social media streams all kinds of content for your taste buds; try these hashtags:
#Foodie
#FoodieLife
#FoodieAdventures
#FoodTok
#FoodieFinds
#HomeFoodie
#EasyRecipes
Volunteer Work or Activism
Volunteering slashes depression risk and boosts feel-good dopamine, per Mayo Clinic research on volunteerism and mental health. Acts of service lift mood, self-worth, and life satisfaction by channeling pain into purpose. Activism can also be especially powerful post-divorce when life feels adrift.
Find your passion, then put your gifts into service. Volunteer with your church or local charities, foster animals, or rally for a cause that matters to you. Turn your divorce worries into new passions with purpose!
Unleash Your Social Butterfly
Your self-worth, schedule, and social interactions have been interwoven in your marriage and divorce. Redefining these areas can help you to rebuild your life into one that fits your new status and reflects your healing journey. The initial wave of unfriending and disconnecting from the marital social structures can leave blank spaces in your social calendar. Start with dating yourself, adding connections along the way!
Date Yourself First
One thing I did after my divorce (to get out there!) was to join a movie club at the local cinema. I got a discount on ticket pricing and concessions, and got to see new movies each month. I learned to really look forward to these movie nights. It did not bother me one bit to go alone. I dressed up, enjoyed the movie, and then came home to settle in for a relaxing night with my dog. Dating myself felt bold. It felt freeing.
Your inner butterfly can come out to play even if you go out alone. Don’t be afraid to spend a little quality time with yourself.
Get a new set of nails, braids, or a new outfit. New you!
Go for a spa day or massage.
Go fishing, hunting, or kayaking.
See a game at the sports bar.
Attend a play, a baseball game, or concert.
Take yourself out to dinner.
And yes, go see a movie!
Build New Post-Divorce Connections
Getting out there alone puts you in the social scene, and you’ll start building new connections. But you can also make this a priority. Join a club, a team, or host your own dinner parties. When you’re ready, you’ll find (and attract) people that suit the new you and support your post-divorce healing.
Healing Hobbies Post-Divorce
The point is to get out there and have a little fun. There aren’t any rules here except to build the post-divorce life that you feel more yourself living.
I’m glad you found this post today. Sharing our stories here at Alimonia Life helps us as much as it helps you. Life post-divorce is something none of us thought we’d be facing, but there’s no reason why we can’t make the best of it, right? Now get out there and find your passion!
Christina M. Ward