Divorce comeback stories

[Anonymous]

I’m 43 and going through a bad divorce. Can others who’ve gone through a divorce in their 40s or 50s share positive stories of how their lives got better after?

[Anonymous]

My life is so much better. I feel like I lost 170 pounds.

[Anonymous]

I’m doing better financially now than married. Although we made comparable salaries, my ex was terrible with money.

Now my kids and I are doing quite well.

[Anonymous]

My friend. It was a nightmare kind of bad divorce. She is happily remarried now and just had a healthy baby at 44 (not her first child).

OP, I've heard numerous happy ending post-divorce stories. I wish you luck and courage!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friend. It was a nightmare kind of bad divorce. She is happily remarried now and just had a healthy baby at 44 (not her first child).

OP, I've heard numerous happy ending post-divorce stories. I wish you luck and courage!

How did you friend meet her husband?

[Anonymous]

I'm 40, I went through a long and difficult divorce.

My life isn't fabulously better, but it's perfectly fine. I'm interested in dating but given my marriage experience and my working in family law, the red flags can't slip by anymore.

But my kids are happy and doing well, my home is calm, and I feel much more confident - much less scared of anything. I feel... experienced? Like I've had many complex experiences and now I prefer a very specific type of person who lives similarly to me.

As a parent, friend, relative, contractor - I'm a better person since my divorce, my personality has shifted and changed in many ways I'm thankful for. Grief has been difficult but I'm mostly through that now and feel like my future is wide open, and not so incredibly limited and shoved in a box as it used to be.

[Anonymous]

Started my divorce 11 years ago. The real estate was in his name, I was a SAHM, had not worked in my field in 15 years, no savings, no assets to my name. I should have been scared and I was but it didn't stop me.
Things are so much better now, I got the real estate ( because I developed them). Restarted my career and climbed higher and higher. The kids are doing amazingly well in school. Have a small but healthily growing retirement fund.
11 years ago my angst was the uncertainty ahead. It felt positively frightening. I had diarrhea everyday for 6 months and lost a lot of weight.
Presently my angst is about strategizing my career into a multinational company so I can move anywhere to be near my adult children if they need me.

[Anonymous]

Bridgette Nelson her fifth marriage was a charm. She married a much younger very hot guy who got her natural pregnant at 54

[Anonymous]

I’m in my late thirties, but I have to share, because my divorce was so harrowing and my circumstances so dire for YEARS, and now my life is unimaginably good. (I used to post here prolifically about this saga.)

In 2016, at not even three months pregnant, I learned that my husband had been cheated on. I did not want to abort so I stuck around until the baby was born. I was living overseas and was incredibly isolated, depressed, and generally miserable (I already had a toddler).

Fast forward to when the baby was six months: a crew of friends essentially helped me flee the country. (I like to tell people I came to the US with two suitcases and a credit card - it’s true!). Husband immediately drained our shared account. I started working full-time right away, paying more than I was making in wages. I used the cash advance from the CC to get an apartment and a crappy used car.

I’m hopeful you’re financially set, but I was not, and it was AWFUL. I was on welfare, food stamps, etc. luckily the kids were still on their dads health insurance. But otherwise life was a grind.

The divorce was brutal, and the very isolated court system was most certainly corrupt. I was humiliated in court when my ex husband claimed our marriage was a farce and he never really “meant” to marry me (?). I was compelled to give him custody of the kids, which is the greatest pain of my life and which is still resolving itself.

I’ll fast forward to now, over six years later: I got an advanced degree, started my professional career, got remarried, bought a home, and have a standard of living much greater than I’ve ever had before. Ex-husband and I are finally on friendly terms, and are relocating to the same city next year so we can share custody. Thank God!

Note that this process was delayed and compounded by the pandemic. Hell on hell.

I cannot overstate how difficult it was, but I ALSO cannot overstate the freedom and peace on the other side of this. You will get through this better than ever. Take extremely good care of yourself and surround yourself with supportive, loving people. Bless you OP.

[Anonymous]

^learned my husband cheated on me!*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m in my late thirties, but I have to share, because my divorce was so harrowing and my circumstances so dire for YEARS, and now my life is unimaginably good. (I used to post here prolifically about this saga.)

In 2016, at not even three months pregnant, I learned that my husband had been cheated on. I did not want to abort so I stuck around until the baby was born. I was living overseas and was incredibly isolated, depressed, and generally miserable (I already had a toddler).

Fast forward to when the baby was six months: a crew of friends essentially helped me flee the country. (I like to tell people I came to the US with two suitcases and a credit card - it’s true!). Husband immediately drained our shared account. I started working full-time right away, paying more than I was making in wages. I used the cash advance from the CC to get an apartment and a crappy used car.

I’m hopeful you’re financially set, but I was not, and it was AWFUL. I was on welfare, food stamps, etc. luckily the kids were still on their dads health insurance. But otherwise life was a grind.

The divorce was brutal, and the very isolated court system was most certainly corrupt. I was humiliated in court when my ex husband claimed our marriage was a farce and he never really “meant” to marry me (?). I was compelled to give him custody of the kids, which is the greatest pain of my life and which is still resolving itself.

I’ll fast forward to now, over six years later: I got an advanced degree, started my professional career, got remarried, bought a home, and have a standard of living much greater than I’ve ever had before. Ex-husband and I are finally on friendly terms, and are relocating to the same city next year so we can share custody. Thank God!

Note that this process was delayed and compounded by the pandemic. Hell on hell.

I cannot overstate how difficult it was, but I ALSO cannot overstate the freedom and peace on the other side of this. You will get through this better than ever. Take extremely good care of yourself and surround yourself with supportive, loving people. Bless you OP.

Western Maryland Cocktail-Serving Mom!!! I’m so happy things have finally settled out for you. I remember all of your trials and tribulations along the way! Good luck with the move!

[Anonymous]

My mom finally filed for divorce after 40 years with my dad (16-56 years old). He was verbally abusive, a drunk, had cheated multiple times, etc. She was in the lowest spot of her life. Her couch cushions were literally worn down/fraying in the outline of her body because she just laid there for a year. 2 years post divorce she went to a funeral of a woman she went to high school with, ran into her high school crush, and they've been together for 10 years now. It's almost sickening to be around them because they're like two little school kids always whispering and giggling, she sits on his lap, he always has his arm around her waist. She's extremely happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m in my late thirties, but I have to share, because my divorce was so harrowing and my circumstances so dire for YEARS, and now my life is unimaginably good. (I used to post here prolifically about this saga.)

In 2016, at not even three months pregnant, I learned that my husband had been cheated on. I did not want to abort so I stuck around until the baby was born. I was living overseas and was incredibly isolated, depressed, and generally miserable (I already had a toddler).

Fast forward to when the baby was six months: a crew of friends essentially helped me flee the country. (I like to tell people I came to the US with two suitcases and a credit card - it’s true!). Husband immediately drained our shared account. I started working full-time right away, paying more than I was making in wages. I used the cash advance from the CC to get an apartment and a crappy used car.

I’m hopeful you’re financially set, but I was not, and it was AWFUL. I was on welfare, food stamps, etc. luckily the kids were still on their dads health insurance. But otherwise life was a grind.

The divorce was brutal, and the very isolated court system was most certainly corrupt. I was humiliated in court when my ex husband claimed our marriage was a farce and he never really “meant” to marry me (?). I was compelled to give him custody of the kids, which is the greatest pain of my life and which is still resolving itself.

I’ll fast forward to now, over six years later: I got an advanced degree, started my professional career, got remarried, bought a home, and have a standard of living much greater than I’ve ever had before. Ex-husband and I are finally on friendly terms, and are relocating to the same city next year so we can share custody. Thank God!

Note that this process was delayed and compounded by the pandemic. Hell on hell.

I cannot overstate how difficult it was, but I ALSO cannot overstate the freedom and peace on the other side of this. You will get through this better than ever. Take extremely good care of yourself and surround yourself with supportive, loving people. Bless you OP.

This one heck of a story! How did you meet your second spouse?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom finally filed for divorce after 40 years with my dad (16-56 years old). He was verbally abusive, a drunk, had cheated multiple times, etc. She was in the lowest spot of her life. Her couch cushions were literally worn down/fraying in the outline of her body because she just laid there for a year. 2 years post divorce she went to a funeral of a woman she went to high school with, ran into her high school crush, and they've been together for 10 years now. It's almost sickening to be around them because they're like two little school kids always whispering and giggling, she sits on his lap, he always has his arm around her waist. She's extremely happy.

You’ve written this on this forum before and I think it’s so sweet- you could make a romcom script from it!!

[Anonymous]

No wedding bells here but it’s been a bleak post divorce landscape for me but I recently met someone I like so much and feel really special about and comfortable with.