How to Break Up When You Still Have to Live Together

An online version of a psychology journal has a guest piece from a person about living together after a breakup. The writer’s wife suddenly decided to divorce him one day. They had to live together for awhile, as they had a home and three young children. The writer credits his ex-wife for staying calm through the process. He offers several bits of advice for this trying period. Examples include remaining civil, finding a space to be apart, and not involving children into the battle.

Key Takeaways:

Be cordial to each other. This shows respect and kindness to the other person.
Don’t wast time explaining what happened. Leave the past in the past. There is no need to relive the break up every day.
Learn to keep your mouth shut. Not everything requires your input or opinion.

“Processing our relationship means trying to reconcile the discrepancies between our accounts about what it means to be partnered.”