Grieving Your Loss
Many people believe that the only time you experience grief is when you lose a a loved one. It is important to remember that you can experience many other types of loss that must be grieved. When you experience other losses, you also go through the same feelings and physical symptoms of grief as you would with a death. Grief is experienced when you lose a job, lose your home, divorce, move, change careers, etc. I would like to focus on the grief you feel when you divorce.
Divorce is a very stressful event in your life. Ending your relationship and moving into the world as a single person is life altering. You find yourself grieving the loss of companionship and the loss of a dream that you had when you first married or became partners. You may tell yourself that this was not part of your life plan. Your life was planned around spending the rest of your life with your spouse/partner. The intense change can be overwhelming. You may feel tired, tense, restless, sad, lonely, angry, anxious, depressed, fearful, helpless, absent-minded, and confused. As you can see, the list of physical and emotional symptoms of grief is quite long. How can you find some help with your grief?
I would suggest seeking some professional counseling with a therapist who is familiar with divorce and its effects. You can also seek spiritual guidance from a pastor/rabbi if you are so inclined. These professionals are trained to deal with grief and can help you assess your situation and move forward with your life. You may also want to consider divorce mediation as a way to ease you through the divorce process. It is less stressful and emotionally draining than hiring attorneys and fighting in court. Finding a way to take care of yourself during a divorce can go a long way to ensuring your emotional health and that of your children after the divorce.
