The end of a marriage brings plenty of different feelings. You might expect to experience sadness, anger, disappointment, or happiness. But there are a few emotions that aren’t always anticipated and sometimes divorcing couples don’t know what to do with them when they arrive. They may not even realize what they’re experiencing because there is too much coming at them as they work to reframe their lives.
Detaching from Your Spouse
If you haven’t felt detached from your partner already, you likely will go through a period of detachment and emotionally disconnect from your significant other. There are many reasons people might feel detachment during divorce:
- You’re trying to protect yourself from an unhappy relationship.
- Your mind and heart are prepping themselves for the end of your marriage.
- You need to separate from the person you’ve been emotionally and financially joined to.
The Hammer of Indifference
Indifference is often indicative of detachment, and it is the emotion you are likely to feel as you work toward the final split from your partner. Indifference is a little easier to spot within yourself or another person, but recognizing how your brain is processing your circumstances and why can help make the waves of divorce a little easier:
- You don’t care what your partner does anymore or how it affects the relationship.
- You have marked your intentions and opted to let go of the marriage.
- You have chosen indifference to your spouse to protect your children.
When you feel indifferent to your partner before you decide to divorce, this apathy is a sign that your emotional connection has eroded. When you stop caring about your spouse, have zero interest in what they do or where they go or who they see, it’s a problem.
Indifference can be a cloak for a person’s true feelings, an effort to ignore the unwanted things happening around them, or it can be a real sign that a person has reached the other side of the divorce journey and are on a healing path. Divorce demands that a person acknowledge and embrace true feelings – at least for those who want to get through the process as unscathed as possible.
The Emotional Tidal Wave of Divorce
Feelings of detachment and indifference often indicate that a Michigan divorce is imminent, but so do problems like lack of intimacy, stress, and differing goals. Many problems in a marriage can be worked through with therapy and determination, but couples who have stopped caring about one another show signs of serious relationship problems. If they aren’t addressed, the marriage is unlikely to survive happily.
Every person who is considering a divorce or going through a split experiences it in their own unique way. Some emotions are prominent and others never show up at all. There is no right or wrong way to feel about ending your marriage. Just make sure you have the legal support you need if the time comes to officially end your union. Contact a Macomb County divorce lawyer at Femminineo Attorneys to discuss your circumstances.