Going through a divorce changes your life drastically. Almost every aspect of your life, from the big things to the small things, will never be the same again. For many people, that leaves their emotions all over the place and dealing with that can be very difficult. In a way, getting divorced is like experiencing the death of the life that you knew. And just like how you feel grief when a person you know passes away, it is natural to also feel grief when your marriage comes to an end.
According to the Huffington Post, there are distinct stages that many people go through as they try to build a new life after going through a divorce. Not everyone may experience all of the stages and they may not all experience them in the same order. You and your spouse may both go through each of the stages but not at the same. That can also make it difficult when it seems that your ex has moved on when you have not. However, he or she may just be experiencing a different stage than you at that given time.
The typical five stages associated with grief are:
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance
An expert has expanded this model when it pertains to divorce to also include shock and rebuilding. Your divorce may have left you feeling panicked and questioning why it was happening, especially if you were not the one to initiate the separation. Eventually, though, you will most likely find a way to build a new life for yourself and look to the future instead of dwelling on the past. The time it takes in order to process each stage and reach that place of understanding will be different for everyone.
Tags: Divorce
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