How to understand the emotional stages of divorce

The decision of divorce can be a hard one to say the least. Whether you were the one that suggested the divorce or it was your spouse there is an array of emotions that you are going to experience.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Divorce is an emotional roller coaster to say the least! In the United States marriages face a sad statistic of a 50/50 chance of it working out. Here are the emotional stages that you may encounter when you are going through a divorce.
2. * GRIEF *
   
   Grief is a natural emotion that we all face from time to time. You may be very sad at the fact of your failed marriage, but give yourself time to feel the grief and sadness. Grief also has an array of emotions that we go through and we do get past it with the support of friends and family. Don't be afraid to open up and talk to ones you trust about how you are feeling. It is an important part of the healing process. If you do not have someone close to you to talk to find a support group in your area, or even an online chat group with people going through te same feelings you are.
3. * DENIAL *
   
   It may be hard to come to the realization that the marriage is over and you may be thinking it is only a temporary separation. However the divorce is real and you must face it straight forward in order to get past it. You may be thinking things like, I cant believe this is happening to me, and we will work things out, but only time will tell. Try to heal yourself before considering a reconciliation. It may be possible but only talking to your soon to be ex can determine that for sure.
4. * ANGER *
   
   Anger is a tough emotion to handle! Realizing why you are angry and where it stems from is important to resolve the issue. There may be many reasons why you are angry and you really need to figure out why. If it was actions taken from your soon to be ex spouse then maybe you can tell them to get it off your chest.Deal with it instead of suppressing it! If you hold it on then it will get out of control later and may even be turned inward causing depression.
5. * DEPRESSION *
   
   The time may come when you are feeling let down and very sad. Feeling that it was your fault and you are not worthy of a better life. Depression is an illness that can last you the rest of your life if it sucks you in. So if you are feeling depressed talk to your doctor! Depression is to blame for many negative thoughts that you DO NOT deserve! So don't give into depression., make sure you stay important to yourself and do not let the divorce and depression define who you are.
6. * ACCEPTANCE *
   
   Finally the time has come where you can accept the fact that the divorce has happened and you are alright! It takes different people different times to get to this stage in your life where you can finally breathe with accepting that they divorce happened. It is well worth it though and it is the beginning of your new life.
7. Divorce is a hard thing for both men and women alike to face. Although you will make it through it and you need to make sure you do not let the word DIVORCE define you! You are worth a great life so get out there and live!