According to a study conducted by Dr. Mark Hayward and Dr. Zhenmei Zhang through the University of Texas, women are more susceptible to the physical and psychological effects of divorce than their male counterparts. Their study illustrates that middle-aged divorced women are 60 percent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than women who stay married. The authors found a link between heart disease in women caused by emotional suffering and financial problems due to divorce.
Grief
Grieving the loss of a marriage is a healthy part of the divorce process that a woman must endure in order to heal properly. Permitting yourself to experience the pain of this loss may be terrifying at first; it may seem that your emotions and fears have consumed you and you can't imagine a time when you can be free of the pain. However, no matter how intense the suffering is now, take comfort in the fact that it won't last forever. In the meantime, allow yourself to express your feelings. The sooner you cope with them, the more you'll be prepared to move forward. This process of mourning is precisely what you need in order to recover your self-confidence and the ability to find new flourishing relationships.
Guilt
Feeling a sense of guilt over a divorce is quite common, especially when there are children in the middle of the situation. The woman may feel shame for failing to fulfill what she promised when she entered into the marriage, which may include deception or infidelity. Encountering feelings of guilt may or may not be warranted. It's important for you to accept responsibility for your part in the divorce, but don't take undo blame for the failed marriage. Understanding that while the behavior you may have exhibited within the marriage was wrong, it doesn't mean that it should be internalized as unforgivable. Your actions don't define your intrinsic nature. You've made mistakes, but you can learn from your actions and move forward with this awareness.
Anxiety
Anxiety and depression cause extreme disturbances in women's lives, but especially when they are going through a divorce. When a marriage fails, the divorce generates indefinite and unexpected circumstances, which in turn causes tremendous fear. Likewise, panic attacks can manifest themselves in severe physical symptoms like insomnia, chest pain and substance abuse. It's vital for you to seek professional help if your feelings of anxiousness or depression worsen or continue for longer than two weeks.
Anger
You may find yourself responding angrily to the divorce. You may feel the pain of abandonment because of your ex's leaving or feel forced into the situation of having to divorce him. Some anger is justified, but how you channel it is what confirms your ability to defeat your struggles and get the healing you need.
