Single & Divorced Boston MA

Happily Single
It can be shattering at first to be apart from your spouse. But "one" doesn't have to be the loneliest number: after you've grieved, adopt a positive attitude towards your situation. Take advantage of your freedom, and be who you want to be. This is the way to enjoy sudden singlehood -- and maybe even prepare for a new, fulfilling relationship.
By Jeffrey Cottrill

There are many reasons why divorce recovery can be a slow and painful process: there's the plummet in your self-confidence after being rejected by a longtime partner; there's the loneliness, the feeling of not being whole without somebody to share your life; and there's the disillusionment in marriage as the great happily-ever-after, or at least in your own marriage as "the real thing." You'll grieve the loss of what you thought was marital bliss, and this is a normal and necessary stage.

What could be more painful than the loss, however, is the fear of being single. How will I cope? you wonder. It's scary to start over by yourself after depending on your marriage for so long. You may have merged your identity so closely with your spouse's -- defining yourself as half of a couple, not as an individual -- that you can't imagine continuing on your own. Perhaps you don't know if you're strong enough to take care of yourself without a spouse's help. Or you're ashamed of singlehood in a society defined by relationships. Will I survive? W...