Divorcing: How Gray Divorce Affects Your Health
“Happiness only real when shared.” -Jon Krakauer
Through years and generations, having a family was considered the biggest blessing a person could ever get. Having someone who is there for you no matter what, who supports and shares the love with you is the ultimate happiness everyone strives for. That is why finding their soulmates people want to believe that their marriages would last forever, and they will never run out of mutual love.
However, sometimes, couples are going through some real troubles in paradise, and, unfortunately, not everyone can get through it. No matter how much love and respect are in the relationships of two, some marriages fail to survive even after decades of being side by side, and this can cause lots of harm to both ex-spouses’ health.
How does a gray divorce can harm your health?
Every couple faces issues. Fights, misunderstanding, and challenges are inevitable parts of family life. However, some prefer to stick to it, while others call it quits.
About 40 to 50 percent of marriages in the United States end in a divorce. According to BGSU, the number of gray divorces has been rising rapidly in the past years. People aged 50 and over are now at a high risk of splitting up, and this can put up too much stress on you or even cause some real health issues.
So, how does gray divorce affect your health? Without any doubt, divorcing can be really tough and emotionally draining. However, not everyone realizes that gray divorces can end up bringing you lots of real health issues, including the ones listed below.
Health Issues
1. Depression – One of the biggest health implications of a gray divorce is an increased risk of depression. Since divorcing is almost always associated with stresses, pain, and mental discomfort, no wonder why newly divorced seniors most often suffer from increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Such an experience is always unpleasant, which is why some seniors can even suffer from post-traumatic stress symptoms, which include disturbing flashbacks, nightmares, etc.
2. Weakened immune system – Mental issues never come alone. Therefore, experiencing chronic stress, you most often put yourself at a higher risk of developing a weakened immune system.
3. Insomnia – Insomnia is an all-time partner of stress. Thus, if you experience too much stress or depression, you might also suffer from sleep deprivation. It can activate a whole thread of issues, including temporary cognitive changes, lack of energy, and fatigue.
4. Isolation – When a senior person feels depressed, he or she may lose the desire to socialize. This may result in a loss of social connections, lack of communication, or even a lack of desire to get out of the house.
5. Physical diseases – One of the most dangerous gray divorce issues is a high risk of developing severe physical problems such as Parkinson’s and heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
6. Risky behaviors – Finally, a sudden rise in stress levels and other symptoms may result in an unpredictable change in senior’s behavior. Many people start showing certain risky behaviors such as oversleeping or overeating. Seniors can also become too impulsive or abusive and put themselves in unsafe situations.
Other Health Issues
Apart from depression, there is a whole range of other psychological problems that can be developed as a result of a traumatic gray divorce experience. These include:
- changes in appetite
- hopelessness
- lack of focus
- poor memory
- mood swings
- muscle aches
- fatigue
Solutions
Luckily, there are plenty of techniques that could help overcome these issues. It is vital to keep yourself busy while divorcing. Finding a hobby or a new job (seniors can opt for remote options like a writer at Write My Paper services) are great ways to distract yourself from the family issues and manage the levels of stress. Also, specialists claim that divorce meditation can be somewhat helpful. However, all in all, the best way to prevent possible health issues is to make sure that your divorce will be as healthy and smooth as possible!
The bottom line
Love is a solid foundation of every relationship. It binds families closer together and helps its members overcome pretty much any challenge thrown along their way. However, feelings can fade away over the years. As it turns out, that shared life and love alone are not enough to keep the two souls together.
When getting married, we all strive for the same – to love and be loved for the rest of our life. Unfortunately, divorcing statistics are rather unpleasant. While younger couples are less likely to call it quits, gray divorces seem to be on the rise today.
More and more couples that are 55 and older are splitting up due to different reasons. Based on everything said above, parting at this age can be extremely harmful to both spouses’ health. With the number of gray divorces being on the rise, today, it is important as never to acknowledge the possible danger and have a clear idea of how to manage the potential effects of parting. Hopefully, this article will come in handy to everyone experiencing divorce problems and give you the courage and hope to overcome them and keep moving forward!
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Guest Writer Bio
Sandra Larson is a renowned freelance writer and journalist. She enjoys writing and helps students to write academic papers. Sandra also likes to share personal experience, researches, and thoughts.
