It's never easy when a marriage ends. Whatever the reason for the split, the breakup of a relationship can turn your whole world upside down and trigger all sorts of painful and unsettling feelings.

Relationships on Female First

Relationships on Female First

But we're here to tell you that you don't have to have an unhappy-ever-after ending following a divorce.

Instead, you can look forward to feeling 'relieved', 'excited' and 'more confident' following the split, like the eight out of ten women aged over 45, who, in a new study, recently reported experiencing these feelings following their divorce.

The survey, commissioned by QualitySolicitors, revealed an upbeat attitude among those who went their separate ways, and here are five reasons why you should too:

1. Perceptions of the big 'D' have changed over the decades with 97% of over 45s now agreeing that these days divorce isn't the social taboo it once was.

2. Things will get better. Over a third claimed to have remained firm friends with their ex-partner, with 65 per cent saying they consider any bad feeling surrounding the split to be 'in the past'.

3. Reinvent yourself and look to the future, see divorce as a new beginning, not the end. Far from staying in and stewing over the breakup of a marriage, a fifth of those polled even confessed to throwing a 'divorce party' or treating themselves to a night on the town.

4. Write a bucket list and go do the things you've always wanted to. There's nothing holding you back! From doing a skydive in New Zealand to writing your first novel - the sky's the limit! In fact 63 per cent claimed hitting middle-age highlighted what they were missing in life, with divorce being one of the first steps to finding happiness for around four in ten.

5. You're an independent woman! 'Seeking independence' is a prime motivator for divorce - the poll found over eight in ten women had children to consider, who were typically 22 years of age when they flew the nest - and almost half of those polled (43%) suggested that a difference in life interests was what began an irretrievable breakdown of their relationship.

Michael Vale, family law expert at QualitySolicitors, said: ''With empty nest syndrome - a common reason for divorce in later years - often comes a mutual realisation that neither partner is happy.

''These days, embracing change in the search of personal happiness is more widely encouraged than 'settling', so people no longer feel obliged to stay together.

''They want to make the most out of life and not be held back in the pursuit of their life goals.

' 'Divorce is rarely a happy process, but when the reasons for a separation are mature and considered, it can turn out well for both parties.

''And one thing everyone can agree on is that age needn't be a factor when it comes to being happy."


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