What do you do after the divorce? Take time to recover, take time to accept that no one is perfect and the despite how much you may like to blame your ex, you had just as much to do with the relationship not working as they did.
Do you date again? When do you know when you’re ready to start over again? I think it’s important to get to know yourself again first, and hopefully by doing so, you’ll get a better feel for what makes you happy. Maybe taking inventory to what didn’t make you happier is easier.
But heavens…. Have no shame.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said “no one can make you feel inferior without your consent”. Essentially, shame and inadequacy are chosen emotions. And when you’re surrounded by a culture where divorce is more of the norm than the exception, you can hopefully take some comfort in the fact that you are more like everyone else than not. The reality is that relationships fail. People fail. We are all human. Accepting divorce as your reality can be freeing, if you can have compassion for yourself and your situation.
You can start over again, and that doesn’t always mean by seeking out someone new. Maybe what you need is just time with yourself and your family for a while. No one has the same schedule, no one can tell you when you’re ready to enter into another relationship, so why not just be content with where you’re at today?