When I was faced with going through a divorce, I immediately started learning to play the guitar. I’ve had one for years, but never spent time with it, mainly because I always considered myself too busy. But once my wife left, I found myself playing for hours, and as she got better, she played more. She became almost addicted to hearing a song earlier in the day, then going home and looking at the tabs to see how quickly she could pick it up.

After about a year, I joined a band and played with them for about another year, playing gigs and enjoying the nights. But it was more than partying. After leaving the scene, moving on, and remarrying, I realize how much that part of my life helped me get through my divorce. I never realized it at the time, but there were benefits I was experiencing that I didn’t even know about.

boost confidence

When you’re left alone in the face of a divorce, your confidence can be the first to suffer. Learning something new, like playing the guitar, can help regain that confidence, but you have to stick with it. At first it can be difficult and frustrating trying to get your fingers to do something they’ve never done before, but keep at it. Once you hit that first riff, the floodgate opens and you’re off. You will feel good about achieving something and others will notice a change without you even saying anything.

Increase social interaction

Your social interaction may suffer along with or because of a lack of trust after going through a divorce. Some may be fine, but if you’re like me, you may find yourself socially closed. Learning to play the guitar helped me get back on the social scene and meet new people. In fact, that’s exactly how I put my new wife. Also, when you learn to play the guitar, you will definitely want to show off a bit. Women respond very positively to someone who shows an interest in something, and music is a wonderful talent to share.

Distraction

Early in going through a divorce, finding a distraction was a must for me. I didn’t want to sit around and think about what my future ex-wife was doing. There was nothing worse than being home alone and wondering what your ex was doing at the beginning of the breakup. this distraction helped divert my attention from the negatives and focus on developing a positive outlet.

Going through a divorce for men can be filled with uncertainty and anxiety, causing worry and stress. After going through a divorce myself, having something personal like playing guitar made me realize how important it was to have my own interest. We can get caught up in life and put it on cruise control, but we are the last to know when we start to lose touch with ourselves.