Women, Divorce, and Macaroni & Cheese

My coping addiction during divorce was not excess drinking or shopping. It was Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I ate boxes and boxes and boxes of it! It was my comfort food. It filled me up so I couldn’t think of anything painful. It made me drowsy, so I couldn’t focus on my grief. It was my salvation until it became clear that no amount of those golden, starchy noodles was going to ease my grief.

So I began watching hours of really terrible TV, and to feel productive while I sat in front of the screen, I did something I hadn’t done in years. I began knitting and made a very, very, very, long sweater! Again I realized there was not enough yarn to fill the voids in my life.

Searching more deliberately to find ways to comfort myself, I discovered that for me it was as simple as going for a walk. Being outside, smelling freshly cut grass, listening to birds, feeling the sun, looking up at the sky.

I also began an internal search, traveling down into my heart, finding my pain, honoring it, and giving it a voice so it could heal.

I began a search for meaning, listening for the “still small voice” that comes from our Higher Power, whatever we choose to name it… God, Angels, Great Spirit, Universal Energy. I discovered renewed faith and trust in my unknown future.

We all need relief from the stress and pressure of divorce.

We can each choose what activities bring us comfort. Exercise, gardening, art, journaling, yoga, kick-boxing, volunteering, soaking in a bubble bath, horseback riding, getting a massage…the list is endless.

We can each choose to look into our hearts where we will find guidance, answers, and healing, and a sense that the most powerful comfort comes from inside us when we are patient, courageous, and willing take the journey to access it.