It's easy to see the health benefits of a happy marriage. Couples living in marital bliss enjoy companionship, emotional support and social support. These couples are each other's biggest cheerleaders in life. They hit the gym or the trails together, they support each other's parenting styles, and they truly enjoy each other's company. Obviously, a happy marriage is as good for your mind (your psychological well-being) as it is for your heart – literally.
When people are in happy marriages, they have less mental stress, which can only be good for their health. However, unhappy marriages can do the exact opposite. Instead of being good for one's emotional and physical well-being, a deeply unsatisfying marriage can lead to:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Weight gain
- Social isolation
- Panic attacks
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Feelings of worthlessness
Understandably, each person responds to being in an unhappy marriage differently. The degree and duration of the stress will play important roles as well. For example, if a spouse is physically or verbally abusive, controlling, or turning the children against the other spouse, naturally the feelings of resentment or helplessness can be magnified in the innocent spouse.
Pause for a moment and reflect on your level of unhappiness. Is your marriage affecting your emotional and physical health? If you feel you've lost control on certain aspects of your life because of your relationship with your spouse, it may be time to consider talking to a divorce attorney.
For many unhappy spouses, they find it easier to slide into an unhealthy lifestyle of constant arguing, a poor diet, a lack of exercise, alcoholism, and even loneliness, rather than file for divorce. The loneliness in a hollow marriage can really drag people down.
In our observations, we've seen how divorce can yield better health outcomes for spouses. Once spouses file for divorce, they start to focus on themselves; they go through a transformation of sorts. Many people improve their quality of life and their health after the divorce. They hit the gym, go back to school, dive into their hobbies, and begin eating and sleeping right for the first time in years.
When people are in much better physical and psychological health after ending their marriage, they're prepared to fully enjoy life after divorce, which often involves an intimate relationship with someone new.
While every marriage on the brink of divorce is different, if yours involves frequent hostility, or if you're on the receiving end of verbal or physical abuse, you're inclined to experience the effects of long-term stress, be it physically or emotionally, or both. We must remember that high-levels of stress wreaks havoc on our bodies, thus if you're in a high-conflict marriage, divorce can actually be good for your health.
Need a San Diego divorce lawyer? Contact Claery & Hammond, LLP to schedule a free, confidential consultation with a member of our legal team.