As someone who is either divorced or contemplating divorce in Florida, you know this can be a traumatic time. In the aftermath of divorce, you may feel anxiety, anger, sadness, and grief. Processing these emotions can take time.
The concept of divorce grief is sometimes poorly understood by the people going through it, and that can lead to the experience being more difficult than it needs to be. Understanding divorce grief can speed up the healing process.
What is divorce grief?
Simply put, divorce grief is the sorrow you feel over the dissolution of your marriage.
Generally, we experience grief due to losing a person (or perhaps a beloved pet). But we can also feel grief over other losses. A marriage is a foundational piece of a married person’s life, and its ending can cause feelings similar to those felt after losing a loved one.
Why is divorce grief especially difficult to deal with?
Two primary factors can make divorce grief particularly challenging:
The first is there aren’t any established rituals or events that help process divorce grief. Humans have created events like funerals and memorial services to help us process the loss of our loved ones. But nothing comparable exists for a divorce. As a result, it may be harder to deal with your emotions without a cathartic event to help deal with them.
The second is that many people suffering from divorce grief do so in relative solitude. As a member of a marriage, you’ve likely leaned on your partner during times of grief as partners. But now, you likely no longer have that partner or relationship. This can make it even more difficult to deal with your feelings.
Divorce grief is a period of sorrow while dealing with the aftermath of a divorce. It can be a tricky emotional time to navigate due to certain unique aspects of the situation.