8 Tips to Help You Survive the Emotional Rollercoaster of Divorce

It is one of the saddest factoids about life in the 21 st  century, and offers a damning statement on the choices we make in modern society, but roughly half the marriages that are celebrated each year in the United States will end in divorce. There are many different reasons that divorces come to an end. Some will end amicably as two people realize they simply didn’t love each other as much as they thought.

Other marriages will end under worse conditions such as extramarital affairs or domestic violence, but there is one undeniable fact about every divorce; they all hurt. There are few if any people that go through the entirety of a divorce with a smile on their face, happily awaiting the moment when they are no longer legally, morally, or contractually obligated to their significant other.

For the rest of the crowd the process, the final moment, and the aftermath are not so easy. The following tips can offer anyone, male or female, help in navigating the emotional rollercoaster of divorce with a brighter outlook.

1. Establish a Support Network

The wonderful thing about living in an organized society is that you never have to go through any life event alone, unless you choose to. Should you choose to try and tackle your divorce, from an emotional standpoint, alone you are doing so at your own peril. Friends, family, even co-workers are all there to support you.

Each of these groups of people will be able to offer different levels of support, and none of it needs to be remotely professional in nature.

Don’t worry about the fact that none of your friends and family have professional training as a counselor; simply having people to talk to and spend time with will take your mind off of the proceedings.

If you think your support network isn’t big enough, then be bold and work to enhance it. It is OK to lean on one good friend, a sibling, or parent in the beginning, but there is nothing wrong with variety over time. In that variety you will find all the help you need.

A parent might bring a stoic vantage point and wise words, while a sibling might be the perfect person to enjoy a shared interest with and a best friend might add just the sense of humor your life needs at the moment. The point is, you’ll want and need all those various helpers to keep it together.