Sense of Relief

• When abuse was a big part of your married life, whether it was physical, emotional or sexual, being granted a divorce can feel like a huge weight has been lifted from your shoulders. You no longer feel like you are living to please someone else. If you experienced abuse, your self-esteem probably suffered. After your divorce, you will be free to build your self-esteem back up. It may take awhile, but realize that it will come with time. Your divorce is the beginning of the healing process.
  
  

Freedom

• Some people feel trapped by their marriage. They feel that they cannot do anything or go anywhere without their spouse's permission. Once you have gotten divorced you are free to do as you please whenever you want. Some people lose their friends when they are married because their spouse did not like their friends or demanded too much of their time, leaving them no time for friends. As long as your friends are understanding, you can slide back into the old friendships that you missed while you were married.
  
  

Emotional Well-Being

• If you have been feeling that your marriage has been falling apart for quite some time, you may have become depressed. Feeling that you are failing your partner contributes to your feelings of depression and sadness. When you are finally released by the divorce papers, you will be free to move on. You may need the help of a counselor to get your life back on track, but it will be easier to move forward when you are not suffering the ill effects of a poor marriage.
  
  

Children

• While the children in a marriage experience some strong effects from the divorce, they also experience positive effects. If you and your ex were constantly fighting, it can come as a big relief to your children to live in peace again. It can be difficult for children to go back and forth between their parents' homes, but they will also benefit from extra attention, especially from the non-custodial parent. When parents stay together for the sole reason that they have children together, it may cause the children more harm than good and gives them a bad example of how relationships should be. In these cases, a divorce allows the parents to find relationships that can model a good relationship for the children to follow.