The Challenges of Divorce

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Emotional pain may cause withdrawal, isolation, and loneliness.

Investing in friendships and having a shared purpose can boost happiness.

Focusing on something bigger than oneself increases emotional well-being.

Gray divorce refers to marriages that end after age 50. Currently, 36% of U.S. adults getting divorced are 50 or older.

Kathleen, 60, has been divorced for nine years and struggles with loneliness, lingering sadness, and mild depression. As I watched her interact with my therapy dog, Friede, I noticed she seemed more energized, and her mood was more positive than in our previous sessions. She even giggled when Friede entertained us briefly with her zoomies before we began.

"Can you believe that this isn't the first time I have smiled since we met in our last session?" she asked me.

"I believe it. What's your smile about?"

"I did what I said I would do," she said. "I made a list of ways I can begin to implement the number-one recommendation on the handout you gave me — investing in my relationships with my friends and family. By the way, that was a very helpful handout, although it was painful for me to read."

I asked her why it was painful and she replied, "As an introvert, it was challenging for me. You know my........

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