From Surviving to Thriving: Rebuilding Your Health After a Breakup or Trauma

When life turns upside down, whether through the heartbreak of a divorce or the exhaustion that follows a health crisis such as cancer, it can feel as though the ground beneath your feet has disappeared.

Everything that once felt certain vanishes. What remains is often a mix of overwhelm, loneliness, and a quiet, creeping sense that you are no longer yourself. In that space, it becomes all too easy to lean on habits that once brought comfort. Late-night emotional eating, perhaps after managing to be “good” or strict all day, only to find yourself standing at the fridge, ravenous and desperate for relief. Another glass of wine to take the edge off. Tuning out your body completely, because it is simply too much to deal with.

If any of that feels familiar, I want you to know that you are not alone. And even more importantly, you are not broken. You are grieving. You are protecting yourself. You are surviving.

But what if survival is not the end of your story?

What if, slowly and gently, you could begin to rebuild something new? Not just a life that looks fine from the outside, but one that feels steady, safe and entirely your own.

I say this not from a place of theory or distance. I have lived it. I have stood where you might be now in the middle of the mess, the silence, the fog. I have felt the weight of a marriage ending. The sting when friendships quietly slipped away. The exhaustion of holding a household together as a single parent.

There is a kind of invisible weight in trying to do it all. Getting the children to school, managing their emotions as well as your own, sorting meals, navigating arrangements with your ex, keeping up with school timetables, and still somehow showing up at work like everything is fine. It is relentless. And often, there is no space left for you.

Alongside all of that, I also walked the path of a cancer diagnosis, with everything that came after. The fear, the fatigue, and the long road of slowly piecing myself back together.

I was not an observer. I was in the thick of it. I was in what Theodore Roosevelt once called the arena:

"It is not the critic who counts, but the one who is actually in the arena. The person who shows up, gets knocked down, bears the scars, and keeps going."

That was me. And it might be you now. Which is exactly why I do this work. Because I understand how lost and tired this place can feel. But I also know what becomes possible when someone who truly gets it walks beside you.

Three Gentle First Steps to Begin Rebuilding

If you are feeling stuck in emotional habits or disconnected from your body, here are a few kind and realistic steps to try this week. No drastic changes, just a soft return to yourself.

1. Name what you are really feeling.Before reaching for the fridge or pouring a drink, pause for a moment and ask, “What is really happening for me right now?” Often, it is not hunger or thirst. It is sadness, stress, or a deep sense of being alone. Naming it helps soften it.

2. Create one small daily ritual.No need to overhaul your routine. Choose something simple: five minutes of fresh air, a cup of tea in silence, stretching before sleep. These small acts do more than fill time. They build a sense of safety and rhythm.

3. Speak to yourself with kindness.Think of how you would respond to a friend who told you they were struggling. Would you criticise them? Tell them to get on with it? Or would you offer comfort? You deserve the same level of compassion.

I know how it feels to believe that no one truly understands what you are going through. But I do. Not because I read about it but because I have been there.

If you are ready to take one small step out of survival mode, I am here to support you.

✨ Book a free 30-minute clarity call with me. No pressure, no judgement. Just a space for you. https://www.stephanievomhagen.com/booking

You do not have to do this on your own. You were never meant to.