When divorce is brought up in most movies and TV shows, there is usually
a more unsympathetic character involved, and it’s usually the one
who asks for a divorce. They are usually portrayed as bad people who let
our hero down. But in real life, it isn’t that black or white. There
is such a thing as divorce guilt, and it’s more common than you
may think.
Writing for The Huffington Post, attorney and life advisor Karen Covy
talks about the real-life phenomenon and breaks down the guilt associated
with thoughts like "Are things really that bad?", "Am I
giving up too soon?" or "How can I do this to my kids?"
Here are a few of her thoughts:
Guilt 101 "Guilt" has been defined as "a bad feeling caused by knowing
or thinking that you have done something bad or wrong." The two key
words in that definition are "bad" and "wrong." When
you are feeling guilty about something, what you are really saying to
yourself is that you are "bad" and "wrong" for having
made the decision to end your marriage.
Is It True? The guilt you feel when nothing was technically "wrong" in your
marriage but you want a divorce anyway can be crippling! You feel like
something must be wrong with you, because nothing seems to be wrong with
your marriage and you still can't stand to be in it any more. You
are miserable — totally, completely, physically, mentally and emotionally
miserable.
No matter what the circumstances surrounding the end of your marriage,
there is only one reason you are feeling guilty about it: You believe
(somewhere deep down) that you are bad or wrong for wanting to divorce.
For more:
Is Divorce Guilt Getting You Down? (Huffington Post)
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