Having a strong social support network is essential. Reaching out to family and friends, joining a support group or seeking out a therapist, and learning effective coping strategies are some ways to help alleviate distressful symptoms of post-divorce trauma, and ultimately lead to the path of recovery and healing.
Individuals may go through several stages of mourning or grief. The emotional intensity of this period usually reaches a peak within the first six months of separation. However, the grieving process may take as long as two years.
It's a process that's extremely tough from start to finish, and you can still feel emotional weeks, months, and even years after you and your former partner have split. The residual anger, hurt, confusion, depression, and even self-blame don't just disappear once a divorce is finalized.
A sudden divorce can leave feelings of betrayal and confusion. It can cause deep emotional scarring that takes time to manage and heal. Ultimately, nothing can prepare you for being blindsided by a divorce. If your divorce was sudden and unexpected, be aware that you may suffer trauma symptoms.
Research indicates life after divorce for men is more traumatic than it is for women, taking a more significant emotional toll as well as sparking physical deterioration. Women file for divorce 70% of the time, and when it's a shock, with no time to prepare — that has a marked impact on how men handle divorce.
While a formal PTSD diagnosis doesn't normally result from a divorce, the emotional fallout from a divorce can cause similar symptoms. Going through an acrimonious, drawn-out divorce process can exacerbate your emotional trauma and result in physical symptoms of illness.
There are 5 common emotions people experience during the divorce process. They are often referred to as the 5 stages of grief. They include denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Naturally, these expand to more nuanced emotions that vary based on your circumstances.
Divorce puts a strain on the financial, social, and emotional relationships of the partners. This time particularly can be devastating for women who may lose confidence, be forced into custody issues, and may lose hope of ever finding happiness again. Some women find it hard to return to their normal self again.
The emotional process can be broken down into 5 stages: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. D-A-B-D-A. Those 5 stages represent grief over the loss of a relationship and marriage.
“But the chaos won't last forever.” t usually takes about two years after a divorce to feel normal again, Stark says. During those 24 months, there are ways that help women heal, including talking out feelings, taking classes and even dating again.
The recent Annual Relationship, Marriage, and Divorce Survey conducted by Avvo online marketplace for legal services found that men are more likely to regret breaking up than women. Of the 254 divorced women surveyed, only 27% said they regretted their divorce.
Of those who had considered divorce, about half had changed their mind about divorce and were still with their spouse. Co-author of the study Adam Galovan said that “it isn't uncommon to think about divorce; even if you think about it, it doesn't mean you will end up there.”
Individuals experience four psychological stages during divorce: deliberation, decision, transition, and healing.
Women worse off financially
As a result, when a divorce does happen later in life, women are more likely to be in a disadvantageous position. For one, women are less likely to know the full extent of the assets the couple owns, thus making them more vulnerable to an ex-husband trying to conceal assets.
While some may be happier after a divorce, research indicates most adults that divorce have lower levels of happiness and more psychological distress compared to married individuals. Divorce can bring up new conflicts between couples that cause more tension than when they were married.
Given the massive amount of stress that accompanies divorce, it's not uncommon for breakdowns to arise during this time. Consider the feelings that divorce tends to trigger: sadness, anger, fear, resentment. These are all commonly experienced even in the absence of a mental breakdown.
Some people going through divorce, or newly divorced, may become socially withdrawn, depressed, and experience feelings of hopelessness. A traumatic divorce can cause physical issues related to psychological trauma, such as the development of eating disorders or substance abuse disorders.
However, in some cases, a spouse may announce that he or she wants a divorce, leaving the other spouse completely blindsided, which is sometimes known as “Sudden Divorce Syndrome.” While the someone may be shocked to hear that their spouse wants a divorce, there may have been plenty of signs that the marriage was far ...
Shame is one of the most toxic emotions associated with divorce. And people feel it for all sorts of reasons. Some people feel shame for “failing” at their marriages or putting on a brave face for too long. Others feel shame for being unfaithful, or for having a partner that was unfaithful to them.
Perhaps the most difficult period of divorce is the “separation period.” That is the time between when you decide to get a divorce, and the date when you are actually divorced.