The Shock of Divorce – Is this really happening?
The most common reaction to the news of divorce is shock. Depending on your natural disposition, you may withdraw from friends and family, or start to busy yourself in an effort not to deal with the situation at hand. In the first stages of divorce recovery it is not uncommon for people to withdraw from social activities that they once enjoyed. This may involve making little or no contact with friends and family. Social withdrawal may be tied to feelings of guilt, shame or embarrassment due to the situation at hand.

Another common way of dealing with shock is constantly keeping busy. If you are constantly on the go, you do not have time to stop and think about the divorce, the relationship, and the future. Both of these reactions prevent the first step of healing after divorce—acceptance. Only when we accept that this is really happening to us can we then get on with healing and thriving after divorce.

Covid has intensified the effects
While months of quarantine do not create relationship pain, they do reveal and intensify problems such as loneliness, conflict, and feelings of loss. Listening to and sharing with other people who have experienced these same challenges will move you toward healing and joy.

How can we help?
If you are dealing with the shock of divorce, we want you to know that these feelings are a normal part of the divorce process. Many before you have felt this exact same way, and these feelings are not a mark of anything other than the normal grieving process.

The Divorce Recovery Workshop is built to assist attendees in raising self-esteem to deal constructively with the reality of divorce and life issues that may hold us back from becoming the people we are meant to be.

Understanding Adjustment to Divorce
Once you’ve accepted the reality of divorce, adjusting to divorce is the next step. This is when you begin to pick up the pieces to re-build your life. Transitioning to a new lifestyle is one of the biggest adjustments one can make after divorce. Adjustment requires taking action and making decisions while grieving the loss of your marriage, and can be a difficult time.

One important aspect of adjustment is mourning the end of your marriage. For some, mourning will mean remembering and missing the “good times” in marriage and looking forward to positive experiences ahead. For others, mourning will mean feeling negative, defeated and full of self-pity. Whether you go through a positive or negative mourning period after your divorce, adjustment is an important time to get your life back in order.

How can we help?
The Divorce Recovery Workshop offers meaningful and practical ways to overcome the pain, anger, and hurt and to discover wholesome principles to find that there is happiness and fulfillment beyond the sadness and disruption of divorce.

During the adjustment phase of divorce, it is common to have both positive and negative thoughts about the divorce. Our goal is to give you tools to assist you in navigating your emotions in the most productive way.

What is in it for you?
In this part of the Divorce Recovery Workshop, you will be able to:

• Hear ways others have managed their new responsibilities as a single person or single parent.
• Learn ways to deal productively with anger, sadness and self-pity.
• Discover how to balance your emotions while making important decisions regarding your new life.
• When used in addition to divorce therapy, you can accelerate your healing process.

Growing through divorce
How can you learn from this? Are you stronger because of your divorce? Growth happens after you have accepted and adjusted to your life after divorce. The storm is over, and now it is time to move on. Growth means learning from your divorce, and looking forward to the new life ahead of you.

Growing through divorce is a day-by-day process, not an overnight awakening. Growth cannot be sped up or slowed down, it is simply a time of healing and living in the present. Growth comes from knowing that your life will be better because of what you have learned through your divorce. Through self-reflection, learning, and thinking, you will have a deeper understanding of yourself. This understanding will benefit you for life after divorce.

How can we help?
One of the most important aspects of growth is allowing yourself the time to heal from your divorce. Without time and self-reflection, it can be hard to learn all you can from this experience. We understand that the healing process is a daily one, and we encourage all attendees to avoid rushing through this very important process.

A recent attendee of the workshop said “this helped me learn strategies for getting on with my life.” That is what we do. Everyone who attends will be in a better place to move forward in a positive manner when the six week workshop concludes.

What is in it for you?
In this part of the Divorce Recovery Workshop, you will be able to:

• Learn to let go of the emotional baggage associated with your divorce.
  
• Understand your role in your relationship and divorce.
  
• Take responsibility in your divorce, no matter how big or small.