Issues » Relationship Breakdown

The end of a relationship comes with alot of emotions such as denial, anger, guilt, rejection, sadness, regret, depression and anxiety. These are all normal reactions and the order or intensity of these emotions can vary depending on whether you were the one to instigated the separation or the one who has been left. In either case it can be difficult to know how to move on and what to do next and there may be a lot of mixed feelings and uncertainty, which can be very stressful.

Some people will feel deep down that their relationship is not saveable, that there is no hope in stay together.  It is natural to want to ignore these feelings initially, as any alternative to being together is too hard to understand.  Little by little it becomes harder to avoid recognising that the relationship is not retrievable and sadly, this is sometimes only recognised by one party, the other person in the relationship may not share the same feelings or want to talk about separating.

Separation is difficult, not just for the couple themselves and any children that may be involved but also for the wider circle of family, friends and colleagues.

It is hard to look on when someone you know has separated and they or their children are finding it difficult to cope. As someone who cares, their pain and distress will have an impact on you too and you may also experience similar feelings of loss, anger and anxiety.

Grandparents, parents, siblings and close friends especially may be drawn into the situation and feel under pressure to ‘sort things out’ but be unsure what to do and experience a sense of powerlessness and frustration