101 Ways to Move Forward After a Midlife Divorce

Tip # 27. Spend a day not talking. This is a tough one. During my midlife divorce and the recovery following, I talked more than usual. I needed to talk. I had so much inside that I felt compelled to express. Sadness spills out into sobs and tears while anger seems to most often explode into words. Choose a weekend or a day you are at home. The challenge of not talking will be more difficult if you are at work or in other social situations. If you are around other people, specifically try to do more listening than talking. Talk only when really necessary. Don’t be rude or offensive; just try for one whole day to be quiet. Ignore those impulses to blab on and on and on about your divorce and your sad situation or your unkind, self-centered wasband. Give yourself a break, and more importantly give those around you a break. I found by being quiet, that first of all I didn't blurt out things I wished later I hadn't said, and secondly, much of what I was saying was unnecessary anyway. My words never convinced my wasband of anything, and I was more at peace because I didn’t feel like I had to get in the last word with him or with anyone for that matter. There is definitely peace in being quiet. Try it. I think you 'll find a quieter heart as well.