Divorce is easier than in earlier times. However, it still carries a sense of failure for many people. Most people divorce when living with their spouses is intolerable. I’ll mention six reasons why it’s difficult to be single again.
Many people are afraid they cannot do well if they end a familiar relationship. Some people feel worthless when they no longer have a spouse to give to and to care for. Sometimes they feel they no longer have a reason to live.
Other people considering divorce feel they will do well. Their self-importance has them think this. But they may not be able to manage well because their former spouse took care of things for them. They may find themselves unable to manage simple tasks like grocery shopping, finances. and house cleaning. They may feel lonely and overwhelmed and long for their spouse who took care of things for them.
In my forty years of clinical practice, I find that people continue relating to one another emotionally and psychologically as they did during the marriage. They take their same ways of relating into the divorce. Commonly, spouses remain........