Living alone following divorce or separation

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Living alone after divorce or separation

Making the decision to separate or divorce is rarely an easy one. Having gotten there, you will most likely find yourself facing a whole new set of decisions about how your life will be without your partner. Living alone after divorce or separation can be difficult. The practicalities can feel overwhelming, and you may also be dealing with a wide range of emotions, including grief, loss, fear and anger. And the unfamiliarity of the new can be unsettling, even where there is also a sense of relief about the relationship ending.

You may need to leave your home, or relocate somewhere distant from your own support network. If you have children, decisions about who they live with, access arrangements or how to support them will be a priority. Your employment situation could change, and you might even find yourself navigating the job market for the first time.

Finances will almost certainly be an important issue as you divide up an established household and seek financial independence. You may need to work with lawyers to guide you through the process and secure agreement on future arrangements.

You’ll also be getting to grips with what it means to live in a completely different way. It’s important to remember that living alone after divorce or separation doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as it can feel at first. We’ve put together some resources to help you get started.

Help and support

The following organisations specialise in supporting people who are going through divorce, and are a good starting point for anyone living alone after divorce or separation:

Relate are the UK’s largest provider of relationship support. While services are UK based, the website has a lot of useful tools and information, including advice on telling children, and support for those at risk of harm.

Citizen’s Advice is actually a network of independent charities offering high quality, independent, impartial advice to millions of people across the UK. UK-based only.

Mediate.com work worldwide and serve as a bridge between professionals offering mediation services, and people needing mediation. Their website also contains a wealth of information.

There are also a number of online support groups for people who are going through divorce and separation. VeryWellMind have done a very comprehensive review and it’s worth trying out a few of these groups to see which suit you best.

There are also thousands of people in our own community groups who have started living alone after divorce or separation, and you are welcome to join us.

Starting to live well, alone

Living alone after divorce or separation will feel like a very different way of life, and at first it can feel overwhelming, no matter your circumstances. You might find the following articles from our own blog useful as you start to find your feet.