Deciding to end a marriage can be an emotionally challenging experience. While the added stress of coping with separating from a spouse and beginning a new chapter can be tough enough – adding in the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic can make it feel even more overwhelming. Divorce counseling is a healthy resource to help you and your partner end your relationship, find closure, and keep you on track emotionally.
Before the pandemic, people went about their normal lives, going to work and having social interactions with friends and family. During the stay-at-home orders, many families spent 24/7 together, without any face-to-face contact with the outside world. This made healthy communication challenging for many.
Some families are also dealing with grief, guilt, and feelings of loss due to a loved one’s illness or death. It can be easy to leave your relationship on the back burner when you’re feeling upset by other problems and circumstances. For some couples, issues in their relationship that have been swept under the rug for many years may have also come to a head.
If you and your spouse have already separated, being secluded or in quarantine can also intensify feelings of isolation and loneliness. Reaching out to mutual friends and loved ones to find the support you need can also feel tough.
Regardless of whether one person wants a divorce or the decision is mutual, divorce counseling can help you better understand each other’s feelings and experiences. It’s especially important to pay attention to feelings of loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re grieving family members who succumbed to the disease or have anxiety about the uncertainty of the future, counseling can help you work through these feelings and thoughts, as well as provide a safe place to discuss them.
If children are involved, counseling can help you understand how to support them throughout the separation and divorce process. A therapist may be able to help you and your spouse work out parenting and custody issues in a calm and civil manner.
Although it’s beneficial for both spouses to attend therapy, individual counseling can also provide the support and tools you need to sort out and cope with your feelings about the divorce and the pandemic. Counseling can help you accept the reality of the moment and allow you to process the emotional pain you may be feeling.
Coronavirus has had a serious impact on people around the world, but it doesn’t mean that you should ignore your emotions or feel guilty about the sadness you may be feeling. Mourning the end of a relationship is a process. Talking about your feelings and fears can help you heal and give you a different perspective on the next chapter of your life.
Divorce counseling or individual therapy can help you find the support and the human connection you need to cope with many different issues that may be affecting you during these challenging times. Contact a therapist directly in Las Vegas at Kayenta Therapy to schedule an in-person or teletherapy session today.
