Dividing Friends in Divorce

 Posted on December 00,0000 in Life After Divorce

When married couples divorce it is not uncommon for possessions accumulated during the marriage to become subject to division. In addition to cars, homes, accumulated wealth and even time with children, it may happen that even the friends you had during your marriage may suddenly no longer answer your phone calls.

Time for New Social Circles

Even those people who you thought were your best friends may no longer have time for you, or perhaps even took the side of your ex-spouse following a divorce. While that can be unsettling, this time in your life can become an opportunity for finding and making new friends. This will not always be easy, especially if your former spouse was the one in the relationship who initiated the friendships you maintained as a couple. However, now you have the chance to surround yourself with the type of people with whom you truly enjoy spending time.

• Take time to determine what it is you want to get out of a new friendship. Since you no longer have a spouse to consider, there may be an opportunity to get to know people with whom your ex-spouse might not have otherwise associated.
• Go to new places. Try new things. If you always wanted to join a gym then do it. Go to clubs and listen to music, or visit museums if that is what you like. It is at these kinds of place you may meet others who share your interests and could become your new friends.
• Do not immediately discount old friends. Some may take awhile to come around, and some who you thought were long gone may suddenly reappear.
• Along those same lines, take time to seek out old friends who you just drifted apart from over time and for no particular reason. Who knows, they may be just as happy to hear from you.
• Divorce does not have to be the common link between you and your new friends, but it does happen. Support groups and other divorced-singles organizations offer great opportunity to meet others with whom you share something in common.

Once you learn to exert your independence, making new friends will become easier.

Retain a Knowledgeable Illinois Divorce Attorney

Going through a divorce is stressful and emotional. For those reasons, and many others that include the complexities of Illinois divorce law, it is important to find an experienced and knowledgeable DuPage County divorce lawyer who can represent your interests. The Law Offices of Matthew M. Williams, P.C. provide thorough review of your divorce case in an effort to ensure you receive everything to which you are entitled. Call their offices today to schedule an initial consultation.

Sources:

https://www.webpsychology.com/news/2015/06/12/claiming-your-social-independence-after-divorce-220196

https://www.psychologytoday.com/family-law-attorney/splitopia/201505/how-rebuild-your-social-circle-after-split