This blog is for people who consider themselves religious, spiritual and/or are interested in exploring that path as a result of the pain of divorce.
Divorce can be a great personal challenge. Similar to other difficult times, people can often find comfort in a sense of faith or spirituality. As you work to heal from your divorce, consider if the following beliefs might be helpful to you:
- There is something bigger than yourself. A common ground in different belief systems is that there are things beyond the self. Adopting a broader perspective can help one re-focus during a crisis.
- Finding the meaning. It can be difficult to hear that something painful happened “for a reason.” This statement can feel dismissive or condescending. However, spirituality and faith offer paths to explore how suffering can create a path to something new and better. It also offers us examples: recovered addicts who devote their lives to others recoveries, parents who start a foundation following the loss of a child and people suffering from illness who promote education, research or services for others with similar illnesses.
- A path to forgiveness. During a messy divorce, the concept of forgiveness may be unimaginable. However, spiritual and religious individuals find it to be an essential tool for healing and moving forward. Forgiveness doesn’t mean condoning bad behavior or leaving oneself open to be hurt again. Rather, it is having empathy and recognizing that we all require forgiveness at some point. Forgiveness can be incredibly powerful because it dissolves the anger of the past, releasing that energy for positive relationships moving forward.
How you connect with your spirituality is personal –meditation, church attendance or being in nature are just a few examples. Those who connect with their spiritual side often feel more grounded and centered because of it. For those going through a divorce, a number of these concepts can help you recover from the disappointments of the path and move forward towards a brighter future.
