What are the stages of a relationship after divorce? what stage can a relationship or marriage go from after a divorce?
Divorce is the legal termination of a marriage. canceling the responsibilities of the parties involved.
Although legal authorities carry out divorce, the couple agrees to walk this path. Divorce is not always met with happiness by the people involved.
It can cause emotional distress even when both parties have convinced themselves that it is the best path.
After a divorce, it is common for many people to take a break from dating and romantic relationships. This break is necessary to process what has happened and to get one’s life back on track.
Ultimately, both parties get over it and may want to resume dating after a while.
A relationship after a divorce is similar to any other romantic relationship, with just a few differences.
The stages of a post-divorce relationship are outlined below.
10 Stages Of A Relationship After Divorce
There are a lot of stages of a relationship after divorce, but for the purpose of this article will be talking about 10 stages of a relationship after a divorce, and they include:
1. First Meeting
Like the beginning of any relationship, a post-divorce relationship begins when the divorcee is ready to mingle.
Ideally, they must have finally let go of their marriage and ex-partner and be ready for some exploration. A divorcee can decide to meet people online or through friends.
Whatever the avenue for meeting a potential love interest, the meeting has to be made alongside first impressions that attract a new partner and encourages them to stick around and find out more.
Attracting a new partner is not one-sided. As a divorcee, you must present the best version of yourself and be ready to make a move instead of being passive and approaching someone yourself takes longer than waiting to be approached.
2. Getting To Know
If the divorcee and the new person find each other attractive, they can try to gather basic information about the other person.
This is the stage of prolonged phone calls and chats. It is the stage where the divorcee should divulge information about her previous marriage and the number of kids from that marriage.
Here, two things can happen. A potential partner can be put off by that information and decide to remain friends or ghost.
They can also decide that they like the divorcee and do not mind their previous marriage.
This stage should be handled with care. Be mindful of the information you reveal until the person earns your trust.
After being single for a while, you may be tempted to divulge everything. Resist that impulse and understand that your relationship is still early.
3. First Date
After the couple decides they want each other, they often become official.
They have their first date and many other dates. A divorcee who is adventurous and wants fun can skip staging four after one or two dates. A cautious one will wait.
This stage is often filled with gift-giving and other thoughtful acts. In this stage, a divorcee can feel the thrill of a new relationship.
It is the butterflies-in-the-belly stage. It is the stage in which the divorcee and her new partner give their best to the relationship.
As a divorcee in this stage, you should focus on how you feel about your new partner.
If they do not adequately meet your expectations or you think that something is missing, this is often the best time to call it quits.
4. Physical Intimacy
Physical intimacy eventually sets in. In some cases, it happens earlier. For the divorcee, this could be exciting, especially if the demands of divorce led them into forced celibacy.
The divorcee may even be open to trying out new things forbidden by their exes.
Before exploring sex with a new person, ensure it is what you want. It would be best if you were not under pressure to do anything.
Also, rushing into a sexual relationship with a new person does not guarantee to heal and could lead to complications.
5. Getting Comfortable
This is when the relationship begins to have some depth. The divorcee is more comfortable and may be looking forward to the future or not.
It is when the relationship gets defined. Are they looking for marriage, a long-term relationship, a short-term relationship, or something else?
In this stage, the divorcee can share specifics of her previous marriage with the new partner.
Having someone intimate to have these discussions with could be fulfilling, even though some people will not dredge memories.
Often, the new partner can meet the ex if the ex is still involved because of the kids.
6. To Continue Or Not?
After a while, the newness of a relationship fades, and the divorcee must decide whether that relationship is still what they want.
Of course, this decision is not entirely up to them, and a couple can have conflicting desires.
The first relationship after a divorce rarely leads to marriage because the partner may be open to dating a divorcee, not marrying one.
Or the partner may be available for marriage, but the divorcee does not want that level of commitment. Regardless, nothing lasts forever.
Some people are used to marriage and may want to force the relationship in that direction. Watch out for this impulse in yourself.
All relationships must not lead to marriage. In short, the success of a relationship is not measured by its length but by how much it contributes to the wholeness of both persons.
7. Denial
This stage only happens if the divorcee has been jilted. If it was the divorcee’s idea to break up, they might already be looking for a new partner.
If not, they may not believe what is happening again. After your first divorce, you may think you have learned about relationships sufficiently and that it won’t happen to you.
A breakup shatters that and proves that you are not immune to disappointments.
As a divorcee, you must learn to accept your divorce and subsequent breakups as a part of life. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, things will work out differently than you would like.
8. Anger Or Hurt
In this stage, you have recognized what is happening and have accepted it.
Acceptance of the current situation does not mean that you are not experiencing emotional distress.
A divorcee may be hurt or angry and fall into the negative cycle of self-blame.
A divorcee must remember that they are not the sole reason the relationship fell apart.
A divorcee must also find ways to express this hurt so that it does not affect their kids or friends.
You can channel all that negative emotion into work or sports. Getting angry or hurt is normal; staying that way is not.
9. Explaining To The Kids
While the divorcee got comfortable with a new partner, they probably introduced the person to their kids, and this new person may have been deeply involved in their lives.
Now that the relationship is over, the divorcee may find it difficult and embarrassing to explain the situation to their kids.
Younger kids may get confused but less judgemental than teens who wonder why their parents cannot stick to one person.
Whatever age your child is, it is your onus to find suitable ways to convey the message.
It would be best if you did not let the child guilt-trip you into pursuing a no longer available partner.
Most importantly, you should assist the child in managing his emotions and adjusting once again.
10. Moving 0n
The end of the first post-divorce relationship can be traumatizing, but the divorcee realizes it is time to forgive, forget and look forward to the future.
This is when the divorcee is ready to repeat the cycle. Whether you decide to space your post-divorce relationships is up to you. Just trust your gut and go for it again.
Conclusion
Finding love again after a divorce is possible. Being proactive will get you a partner quickly but staying committed to each other is what will keep you going.
It is okay if you do not get it right on the first trial; people rarely do. You have to keep getting up when you are knocked down, and maybe one day, you will find what you’re looking for.
