Getting a divorce can be one of the most difficult periods in anyone’s life. Aside from the heartbreaking end to the marriage, often there are many difficult decisions that need to be made. Where do the kids live? Who gets the house? How do you divide up the assets? It’s exhausting emotionally and financially and can make an already trying time seem almost unbearable. Sarah and Alicia recently sat down with Alicia’s sister Susan, who after 38 years of marriage was caught off guard by her husband’s plans for divorce and found herself thoroughly unprepared for what came next.
Divorce can be messy and complex, especially when there are issues of custody and ownership involved. While it might seem impossible at times, staying friends during and after a divorce can help make your transition smoother and your life happier--even post-divorce.
Transitions are inherently challenging. We go through so many in the human lifespan that we often don’t stop to acknowledge that they’re happening. Whether it’s marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, menopause, or death, how we traverse these changes will not only determine how we’ll come out the other side, but how well we’ll manage the inevitable next challenge life throws our way.
Sleep is one of our most precious resources. It is vital to our health and well-being. Just as we need food for energy, we need sleep to relax and recharge. During sleep the body renews its energy, releases growth hormones, and heals itself. In times of extreme stress sleep is one of the first things to become disrupted. There are two types of disruption: excessive sleeping and lack of sleep. It is not uncommon to experience both of them in the same period of time and even alternate between not being able to sleep and sleeping what seems like all the time.
Loss is one of the most painful human experiences, and over the course of a lifetime we can experience a variety of losses. How we process and experience our loss will greatly impact how we recover from it and how we’ll handle the inevitable additional losses we’ll experience in the future. Loss impacts us across our lifespan. It can be experienced as part of the developmental separation from a caregiver, or in response to divorce or the death of a loved one. The more we allow ourselves to feel attached and connected to others, the greater the potential for loss, making the idea of attachment a risky endeavor for many people.
No one gets married expecting to get a divorce, but according to statistics compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 3.5 divorces in the U.S. per 1,000 population. Holy crap -- that's pretty much HALF of all marriages. Terminating a marriage can be very painful, especially if there are kids involved, and the complications many. There are some things to consider for each spouse, and a number of steps that would be good to follow. Of course your first priority is to protect your rights and those of your children. and those of your children.
There are many reasons why people want to end their marriage, but many problems can be worked out with outside help. Unfortunately, there are issues that are serious enough to cause one of the partners to head for divorce court. Some couples hold off on divorce until the children are older or finances are in order. Often, addressing disturbing issues in the partnership and owning up to mistakes can save a marriage. The key is try to prevent things from going overboard.
During divorce proceedings, men may bank on your emotions getting the best of you and keeping you from fighting for what is rightfully yours. All too often they are right. Many women do just back down in order to avoid the conflict and arguing. They just want it to all go away. The problem with that is that it will all just go away and you will be stuck with nothing in the end. On the other hand, if you know how to stand up to your husband during your divorce you can get through it with your pride and bank account intact.
Til death do us part, or so it is supposed to be when you get married. However, in today's world more and more people are looking at marriage as a disposable option. Often, women get mixed signals from their husbands and wonder if they are going to be the next one in divorce court. Sometimes the answer is yes and sometimes it is just a matter of old-fashioned paranoia that is easily dealt with through a long talk with your husband. But, first you have to understand how to know when your husband wants a divorce or is at least thinking about one.
While a failed marriage is often the result of poor communication between partners, marriage experts say that you can save a marriage in trouble. Although every married couple experiences difficulties in their relationship at some time, it is possible to strengthen and rebuild a relationship. A study published by the Institute of American Values found that most of the couples in the research sample who divorced reported being no happier following the divorce. Yet nearly two-thirds of the unhappy couples who stayed in their marriages reported having happy marriages 5 years later.
