8 Essential Survival Tips For Divorced Catholics

I remember driving home from work several years after my divorce dreading the thought of walking into my cold, dark apartment. There would be no one to greet me, no one to hug me and ask how my day was. There was no one to cook for, and I usually didn’t eat dinner. I would just sit down with a glass of wine and look for a good movie to watch.

I was terribly lonely and depressed. Times like these can be dangerous or fruitful depending on the choices you make and how you use your time. Personally, I did fall into the trap of staying home most weekends and holidays by myself, throwing a pity party. Not good.

That’s not to say there shouldn’t be time to be by yourself and nurse your wounds. That’s an important part of healing, but it should be an appropriate amount of time, not a way of life. Eventually, you need to get back to the rebuilding part, but the question remains: How do you do that?

In my personal experience, there are 8 essential things every divorced Catholic needs to keep their sanity, carry their cross with grace, and find healing. Here they are in deliberately descending order: