Getting a divorce can be one of the most disruptive and emotionally challenging times in anyone’s life. However, the cascade of contradictory and chaotic feelings is normal, according to mental health experts.
There are many feelings people go through when ending a marriage, even if it’s the best and only solution for starting a new and positive direction in your life.
Recognizing the emotional playbook of divorce
While everyone deals with divorce differently, there are several generally accepted stages that people go through, including:
- Disillusionment: The first stage can begin years before a divorce where you sense something isn’t right in your relationship and don’t have control over its path.
- Anger: During this phase, thoughts often give way to discussions of divorce with your spouse or others where you vent your frustrations.
- Resolve: Once the decision is made that the marriage is over by one or both spouses, talk turns to action.
- Action: The divorce process can be amicable or filled with contentiousness, such as fights over child support, custody and property distribution. Spouses who cooperate and agree to make their children the priority can help the process go much more smoothly and save money.
- Acceptance: While this stage can start earlier – even before a divorce is filed, you will likely begin to accept that your marriage wasn’t working, and you are taking the best action possible.
- Hope: It may take some time, but there will come a day when you’ll meet new people, embark on new adventures and build a new life where those negative feelings will fade away.
Seek compassionate legal advice
Choosing divorce is not an easy decision, especially when children are involved, and you decide to take your life in a new direction. An experienced family law attorney here in Connecticut will help guide you through what can be a complicated process, especially for high net worth couples. Your attorney will protect your rights whether mediation or a collaborative divorce are reasonable options, or when fighting for you in court is necessary.