How to Emotionally Recover from Divorce

Of course, the first year is characterized by the ever-present reality of dealing with the legal work. To get through it successfully, you really need a split personality: one part of you is grieving and the other is calmly filling out financial disclosure forms. If you have children, they are grieving and adjusting to their new situation, too. You must devote some time to helping them through this painful transition every day -- but don't neglect your own emotional and physical well-being in favor of theirs! You can't help your children if you're teetering on the brink of a breakdown yourself.

After the initial shock wears off, the next stages of recovery are characterized by reorganizing and reexamining your life. You're searching for answers to questions both large and small. Where do I want to live? How will I support myself? Will I be able to make the support payments? Should I buy a new car? Should I go back to school? Who will care for my children if I go back to work? It's a busy time -- one that affords little opportunity for grief when you may still be reeling.

The Final Stages of Recovery

By the second or third year, your life is probably moving along a more predictable path. You may cry or feel sad once a week -- which will gradually become once a month -- instead of once a day. Complete divorce recovery usually requires about three years; some people require less time, and some people never get over it. I have had participants at my workshops who had been divorced for more than a decade without achieving resolution or understanding. 

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