Tips and advice for men and women who have recently split up from a spouse and are now getting divorced.
It’s hard to know what life after divorce for men and women looks like until you experience it. You might be reading this and either thinking about divorce or going through one, and you have no idea what life is going to be like. This is a story that might give you a glimpse of … Read more
Below is an email from a woman whose husband left her, along with my divorce advice. Married 18 years and I always thought we were so happy. People said they wanted a relationship like ours. Then he dropped the bomb! Now a year later the divorce is final and I can’t seem to move on. … Read more
The e-mail below made me want to cry. I feel terrible for this young woman seeking divorce advice, obviously devastated by her upcoming divorce being finalized. Hi Jackie, I am 26 years old and my husband left me a few months ago. We were separated for 2 months (his decision not mine) and during those … Read more
It’s kind of ironic. You get divorced and you don’t think anything can be worse. Until…the heartbreak of your next relationship. The pain you are feeling can seriously feel physical. I have had chest pain after a breakup. And read this woman’s email to me. She’s saying “It’s hard to breathe!” I’m a 35 year … Read more
Divorced Girl Smiling received this e-mail from a young woman seeking divorce advice. It made me realize how little I write about divorce with no kids involved (with the exception of second marriages that end in divorce with no kids.) But what I want to say is that divorce is painful whether the couple has … Read more
Jackie, I am a single mom of a 16 year old and a 2 year old looking for divorce advice. My 16 year old is from my first husband and we have a great relationship. My 2 year-old’s father and I broke up a week before our son turned a year old. About 6 weeks … Read more
I don’t know one divorced woman or man (or anyone on earth-divorced or not) who doesn’t have days or even longer times when things seem to be imploding in their worlds. In my own situation, I describe those periods of time as feeling like I’m in a dodge ball game, and the balls just keep … Read more
I’ll never forget the first time I ever met my ex-husband’s new girlfriend. She was beautiful, blonde, much younger than me, and the worst one: NICE! I felt sick. I felt old. I felt ugly. I felt depressed. I really wanted to hate her guts. The problem was, I just couldn’t. She was (is) so … Read more
Divorce and binge eating is something I am personally familiar with. Years ago, when I was getting divorced, I can remember being so stressed (a combination of anxiety, anger, fear, sadness, hopelessness) that at times I used food to cope. More than just a few times I would stand in front of my freezer shoveling … Read more
A reader sent me the following e-mail that I can’t resist sharing because it sparks a discussion about dealing with the pain of divorce, and how that pain, which can be gut-wrenching at times, can cause us to act crazy. The reader refers to the Miranda Lambert Song, “Mama’s Broken Heart,” where Lambert is going … Read more
The Sun-Times received this letter from a divorced woman asking for relationship advice. Jackie, I am at a point in my life where I am questioning my relationship. I feel like it could be several things, such as not feeling like I have forgiven myself for my decisions and therefore don’t love myself fully; not … Read more
Editor’s note: I can’t remember how I found out about Ending Up, Paige Morrow Kimball’s short film about coping with divorce, but what I do remember is that when I watched the trailer, I was laughing so hard I had tears running down my cheeks. It put me in a great mood, entertained me, inspired … Read more
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