A UK law firm, Jackson Lees, outlines five ways that you can move on quickly from a divorce, leaving you free to get on with enjoying the rest of your life. When you’re in the midst of your divorce, it can seem as though the light at the end of the tunnel is a long way off. But the truth is, it can be as close as you want it to be.

They state that the key to moving on is to make sure your time is filled with enjoyable things, whilst also ensuring the practical side of your split is dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible. Crucially, neither of these avenues allows you to sit and dwell on a past you can’t change.

Take a look at these five tips for moving on in double-quick time:

1. Reconnect With Your Friends

It’s a fact that being in a relationship means you see your friends less than you did before. In some cases, you may even lose touch with people altogether.

This is a prime opportunity to get back out there and enjoy all the things you used to, whether this is a weekend on the town or a quiet night in with a bottle of wine and the film.

Whatever you do, make sure you don’t spend too much time talking about your divorce. It’s only natural that your friends will be concerned, but if you allow the conversation to focus on this topic too much it defeats the point of the exercise.

2. Spend Time With Your Children

If you have children, you should make the most of any time you have with them. As well as enjoying days out and activities with them, you should also make it clear that your divorce is not their fault and ensure that their daily routine is not too disrupted.

How you achieve this will vary depending on the age of your children. However, one thing you should avoid is going into detail with them, as this will only cause upset and makes it harder for you to leave your divorce behind in the long run.

Treat time with your children as an opportunity to build your relationship with them for the future, whilst at the same time realising that some good did come from your marriage.

3. Start A New Hobby

From time to time, everyone looks back and wishes they’d given something a go. This can be anything from painting to skydiving, and whatever your unfulfilled dream is you shouldn’t pass up this second chance to try it out.

As well as helping you broaden your horizons and filling up free time that you might otherwise spend being sad, it is also a great chance to meet new people and start another chapter in your life.

4. Sort Out The Legal Side

This is usually the side of a divorce that people dread the most, as it conjures up images of hours arguing in a room and having the whole business dragged through the courts.

In reality, this does not have to be the case. Not every divorce needs to be acrimonious and it is entirely possible to agree on a compromise with your ex with little or no dispute. Many divorce law firms offer a mediation service that can help this process along.

If you are having a difficult time on agreeing on things (something that can be particularly true where children are involved), all you can do is ensure you take the time to find an experienced lawyer who fully understands your situation and is able to work on your behalf to resolve the problems as quickly and painlessly as possible.

5. Relax

It sounds easy, but anyone who has been through a divorce will know how hard it is to put your problems out of your mind.

While the suggestions above will help to distract you, there will unavoidably be times where you are alone with your thoughts, and the trick is not to let your troubles take over.

There are various things you can do to relax and banish all thoughts of your ex when you’re at home, from watching a film, to unwinding with a bubble bath or a cup of tea. These are all basic ideas, but the main thing to remember is that as long as you’re doing something that makes you happy, the prospect of dealing with your divorce suddenly doesn’t seem so daunting.