Managing the emotional side of a gray divorce

While divorce is usually a difficult process, it can bring some unique challenges for older adults. What is sometimes referred to as “gray divorce” can happen for many reasons. Some causes, such as infidelity, are similar to the reasons that people in any age group get a divorce while others are more specific to the couple’s stage in life, such as the realization that they have little in common once their children grow up and leave home. Whatever the reason for the divorce, there are steps that divorcing individuals in North Carolina can take to make the emotional toll less taxing.

Connecting with others

It’s easy to fall out of touch with friends and even family when raising a family of your own. Post-divorce can be a time to reconnect with people. You can make new friends as well as strengthen ties with old ones. A support group for older divorced adults can be helpful, and if you find that you need more help than peers can provide, counseling or therapy is always a good option to help you work through your feelings.

Find new interests

You may want to put away things from your old life and move to a new place now that you can make all the decisions on your own. Even in a good marriage, people often do not get to pursue some of their dreams because compromise is necessary. In recovering from a gray divorce, you can travel, go after that degree or train for that marathon you always wanted to run.

It is normal to feel sadness or even depression at the end of a long marriage. What is important is to understand that you will not always feel this way, so it’s important to create the conditions that can help you start to recover. Building relationships and embarking on a new, single life are the first steps to fulfillment after a divorce. If you have questions about your finances or other aspects of post-divorce life, a family law attorney may be able to offer guidance.