Divorce may be a life-disruptive, emotional roller coaster that can leave you wondering if your life will ever be normal again.

Rather than heading into the process blindly, divorce lawyers advise their clients that preparing yourself emotionally can be a huge help.

Part of that preparation involves knowing there are different emotional grief stages to the process and that it’s normal to experience all those up and down feelings.

When starting your divorce process with divorce legal services, be sure to take the time to recognize and acknowledge the emotional phases of divorce to get through it more easily.

Divorce attorneys do understand how stressful it is to end a marriage and how beneficial emotional acceptance and understanding the emotional stages of divorce can be.

1. Denial

Many divorce lawyers find that the first emotional stage of denial can be significant for some spouses, especially if they did not see the divorce coming.

Yet as surprising as receiving divorce papers or simply knowing that a marriage has failed may be, it’s essential that you avoid letting denial prevent you from accepting reality.

Pretending it isn’t happening will not actually prevent a divorce or shield you from the grief you may be trying to ignore; accept it and continue on.

2. Anger

Once you have accepted that you are getting divorced, it’s common to then become angry.

When deal with their clients, divorce attorneys advise them that many people become resentful and cynical, letting a lot of the negative emotions out that were suppressed during the denial stage.

You might experience guilt or find fault with both yourself and your spouse for what you each perceive as reasons for the failure.

While it’s important that you acknowledge your anger so you can eventually move past it, be careful that you don’t get stuck in feelings of hatred and grief that can prevent you effectively from working through the process.

3. Bargaining

After you are less angry and feeling more rational, you may start viewing the factors that led up to this moment in a different light according to divorce legal services.

You may enter a stage of emotional bargaining, a last-ditch attempt to resolve problems and maintain the relationship.

Usually caused by fear of the future or significant life changes on the horizon, you might find yourself at least mentally trying to correct long-standing problems at this stage.

While that may work for some, it may be better for you to just keep moving forward in the process.

4. Depression

After all the shock, anger, and realization that there is really no going back, it is not uncommon for spouses like you to become depressed as you consider the loss of your marriage and relationship.

The sadness that you feel could last a long time as you come to terms with the fact that your marriage is gone because you are also having to deal with the division of property, changing of your family life, and other important aspects of the divorce process.

Divorce attorneys suggest getting professional help to get through the depression phase more easily and make your recovery from it all sooner.

If you find yourself losing interest in your friends and family, crying a lot, secluding yourself, or displaying other depressive behaviors and not getting any better, a grief counselor or mental health specialist can help.

5. Acceptance

Once you have experienced all the previous emotions and are lifting from the sadness, you will enter the point of acceptance.

Reaching this stage in the emotional process is essential, as it means you are finally able to look ahead, work productively with your divorce lawyer, and plan for your future outside of your marriage.

You may still have heartache and regret as well as revisit past emotional stages temporarily; however, dealing with those emotions will be easier.

Divorce is A Process, Both Emotionally and Legally

Ending a marriage is never pleasant; it can evoke strong, negative emotions as you go through the legal process with your divorce attorney.

You can make things easier emotionally when you recognize the different stages of grief as you work through them and learn that it’s okay to have such feelings.

The legal services available from your divorce attorney can help you learn that there is more to a divorce than just negotiations and paperwork; you can also learn how helpful dealing with your emotions can be!

Foreman Family Law

409 E. 26th Street
Bryan TX 77803

979-300-8356