Dealing with divorce can be difficult. This is especially true if the marriage dissolved for painful reasons, such as an extramarital affair or abusive (either physical or emotional) behavior. It can be even more difficult if you have a job or career that requires you to be professionally on-point and put-together, even as your personal life is falling apart. Knowing how to deal with grief in the workplace can help you to surmount these seemingly unforeseen circumstances and allow you to process your divorce in a healthy, supportive way. First, it is important to understand the stages of grief associated with the end of marriage.
Stages of Divorce Grief
For partners who did not want the divorce or did not expect their partner to seek one, shock may be the first serious emotion that arises. This shock stems not only from the actual dissolution of the marriage, but also from the deeper psychological implications of the loss of the future plans you and your spouse had made together. Marriage is widely understood to be a life commitment. When the commitment is dramatically shortened by divorce, there are often heavy emotional consequences. This shock may also manifest itself as denial. Anger may come next, followed by guilt and depression. All of these emotions will likely affect the way you are able to perform in the workplace.
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