When you’re going through a divorce, it’s easy to look around and just see a bunch of negatives. You’re separating a family, a life, and starting all over again. However, even though there is a lot of bad happening, there’s also a lot of positive divorce-related lessons to be learned from this whole thing. So, for once, let’s look at the positive aspects of a divorce, that we often overlook because the process is inherently negative.
Positive Divorce-Related Lessons: What Does Divorce Teach You?
You find out who your friends are
You probably have many people you consider your friend. But, it’s only in times of hardship that you learn who your real friends are. Things get tough, and you might need to rely on those around you for support from time to time. And only then will you know the real, from the fair-weather, friends. It’s sad to say, and you may still like some of those people. But now, you really know who will be there for better or worse— pardon the pun.
Possessions don’t mean that much
One of the biggest, and most common, positive divorce-related lessons you can learn is that things, are just things. They don’t define a life, they don’t define a marriage, and they don’t keep you warm at night. You’ll find that those things you fought hard for in the divorce, maybe it was a house, car, painting, or something of the like. But now, as you sit in them, or look at them, you see the battle instead of the thing itself. A house is full of memories, a painting you bought together, whatever it may be. Things are just things. And the further into this new life you get, the more you’ll want to distance yourself from those small things that once meant so much that you were willing to legally battle for them.
You won’t keep everyone in the divorce
While difficult, divorce teaches you a lot about who you are, who your friends are, and what’s important to you. Furthermore, it helps you understand who and what can plausibly move into this next stage of life with you. Take, for instance, close friends of your husband or wife that have become close friends of yours. Typically, the friend will maintain a loyalty with one or the other— and while they are now close friends of yours, unfortunately, husband/wife was there first. It’s important to not be bitter about these things, and understand that these are necessary sacrifices. But, those sacrifices are leading to something greater.