Some face an identity crisis after divorce

People build their own identities over time, and these can shift and change depending on where you are in life. Not that you don’t think of yourself as an independent individual, but you also thought of yourself as a spouse after you got married, for example, and as a parent after your first child was born. These are huge milestones that help define who you are.

The problem, for some, is that an identity crisis can strike after a divorce. This is especially true if your kids have grown up and moved out of the house.

Suddenly, after decades of being married and being a parent, you’re single again. You’re living alone. You can start to wonder who you really are and what you really want to be.

Experts note that you shouldn’t look at this as a crisis, but as an opportunity. You may even take this chance to reinvent yourself or do something you’ve always wanted to do. Maybe you wanted to live overseas, for instance, but you figured it would never happen because of your spouse’s career and your kids. Now may be your chance to embrace that dream.

When going through the divorce process, it can be helpful to keep this new goal in mind. Think about what you want out of life. What does that mean for you when looking at the division of assets? How do things like spousal support factor in? For example, if you know you want to travel and start over somewhere new, you don’t have to spend time in court fighting over who gets the family home.

As you work to move forward with your life after the divorce, be sure you know all of your legal rights. Focus on what you want in life and how your decisions in court can help you get there.

Source: Since My Divorce, “Starting Over After Divorce? Here’s What You Need To Know,” Martha Bodyfelt, accessed Dec. 29, 2016