Dealing With Divorce – Dating Relationships After Divorce (part 1)

Dealing with divorce is something that can drain a person’s self-esteem, take away any self–confidence a person has, and replace it with debilitating insecurities and sometimes, overwhelming self-doubt.

A very important aspect of a man or woman’s road to recovery, after an unpleasant divorce, is how to overcome the insecurities they experience and the way they cope with dating relationships after divorce.

Many divorcees start to question every part of themselves and the lives they have led up until that point. Nothing is safe or secure any more! After the way their marriage ended, which they thought would be perfect when they started out, people simply can’t count on the “sure things” in life any more.

Emotional Pain
Creative Commons License photo credit: Furryscaly

However, creating a insulated shell around themselves, as protection from any more hurt and emotional pain, isn’t the ultimate answer. In order to make sure that the rest of their lives are happy as possible, divorce victims need to break out of this self-imposed prison. They have to venture out into the world once more and realize that dating after divorce is something they can do, and do successfully!

Insecurities After Divorce

Now, there’s no escaping the fact that divorce is something that can leave a painful mark on a someone’s life. More often than not, it’s the most difficult thing a man or woman can go through in their entire lives. It is an event that has the potential to destroy one’s belief in oneself, and also upset every aspect of one’s life.

Divorce Causes Fear Of Change

During divorce proceedings and after the divorce is finalized, nothing in one’s life remains the same anymore. The disturbance caused, due to a divorce, often leads to major change in a person’s financial condition, family situation and support in society, to just name a few of the issues.

During the years a man or woman is married, most aspects of life become a sort of a team effort…from basic grocery shopping to attending parent-teacher nights, etc, etc. After divorce, such everyday things, such as going to the supermarket to buy groceries, can have an enormous impact on a person’s sense of security.

The things that were once shared between two people, suddenly become one person’s entire responsibility! Such unfamiliar things can totally bring about a major sense of uncertainty into people’s lives where they have to confront so many unfamiliar issues all by themselves.

Divorce Causes Pain

Divorce can also be accompanied by a great sense of loss. Because you’ve lost the person who might have meant the world to you for so many years, the end of every close relationship will almost certainly bring about a feeling of loss for some time. It’s similar in many ways to a bereavement and the grief that follows.

A messy divorce can cause a person to feel as sad as if the spouse has passed away. Irrespective of the way it happens, a loss is a loss! Even when a couple are not getting along at all, they decide to stay together in order to prevent themselves from feeling the sense of loss which, in most cases, can cause so much pain for both people involved.

Divorce Causes Self-Doubt

The sense of loss and uncertainty can cause a divorcee, either male or female, lose all trust in their own sense of judgment.

Many divorced people frequently doubt if they can actually follow their feelings and judgment, and act in their own best interests after going through the trauma of divorce. And, this is more the case for women, rather than men, when they start dating again after divorce.

Since many divorces are the consequence of husbands who have cheated or betrayed their wives’ trust in other ways, some women often find it extremely difficult to open up to someone new, let alone trust men again. They become very protective of their feelings and emotions. “Once bitten, twice shy” is a motto they adhere to!

However, it’s important to point out here that, even though women tend to be more at risk of having their feelings and confidence damaged and become hesitant to form new relationships, a lot of divorced men also go through this phase. Men are not impervious to the emotional harm or psychological scars caused by a messy divorce!

After Divorce – What Next?

Probably, the most worrying facet of dealing with divorce is if divorced men and women continue to harbor such depressing suspicions, doubts, self-esteem problems, lack of trust in their own judgment and other issues. They’ll have real problems being able to commit to relationships, thus depriving themselves of finding any true happiness in the future. And, this is definitely a situation that must be avoided at all costs!

So, in following posts, we’ll look further into dealing with divorce and perhaps discover that dating relationships after divorce can be fun and very rewarding.

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6 Responses to “Dealing With Divorce – Dating Relationships After Divorce (part 1)”

  1. After divorce it can take a very long time to recover from the trauma of the breakup. For some, their confidence and self esteem are shattered, and they retreat into themselves.
    If they could just recognize that they are just existing, and not rebuilding their lives. They could seek the reassurance of family members and close friends that they are valued, and then move forward by getting out to the gym, going down the pub etc. In meeting people again,they could decide if they were ready to start a new relationship again.
    Ray´s last blog ..Overcoming Social Anxiety And Shyness My ComLuv Profile

  2. Divorce is a devastating time emotionally unless people take control of their divorce and decide to be the one calling the shots however painful they are.
    Nicola – Divorce Coach´s last blog ..Tips For Parenting Aggressive Children â?? Help With Handling the Difficult Child You Love My ComLuv Profile

  3. Take the time needed to heal from the divorce and those feelings of loss. Try to look inward and own your responsibility in the problems that led to divorce. Forgive yourself and your spouse and don’t let the issues from this marriage follow you into new relationships.
    sarah@divorce counseling´s last blog ..Stop Your Divorce Before It Causes Heart Ache My ComLuv Profile

  4. Sometimes a marriage is beyond healing. The emotional damage caused by infidelity and affairs can sometimes be healed and the relationship restored. But sometimes not. If you can say with a clear conscience that you have done everything in your power to make the relationship work, it may be time to reevaluate your marriage.
    clara@effects of divorce´s last blog ..Marriage Counseling – One of the Greatest Causes of Divorce My ComLuv Profile

  5. Divorce and separation, like bereavement, take a long time to get over. You need to get used to being a new person, and no longer part of a couple. It won’t come right overnight. People often expect you to bounce back once you’ve got your divorce sorted but feelings don’t fit tidily into legal processes. For most people it takes about one to two years before they start feeling okay again. Bit by bit it should start getting better. Children will also need time to adjust.
    jennifer@children of divorce´s last blog ..How One Strategy Makes Divorce Parenting Much Easier My ComLuv Profile

  6. Divorce is always a bad news among married couples. Some couples just cannot iron out their differences.;*`

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