We usually use the last weeks of the year to take stock of our lives, review our projects, work, financial situation and relationships.
December is a month of good purpose in which decisions that can transcend our lives are made. Just as we may decide to set aside some habit that can hurt us, these dates can also influence our decision on what to do if we are unhappy in a relationship.
How to thrive despite divorce? Ana Maria Eder — Divorce Coach and Political Science graduate from Andes University in Colombia has a good answer. For several years, she faced a hard personal conflict that triggered a difficult divorce. Ana’s own experience has made her develop a special skill and sensitivity when it comes to supporting and advising people who are deciding on or going through the difficult stage of divorce.
I spoke with Ana Maria Eder a couple of months ago when she was launching her new website in New York. This is what she told me about how her own experience encouraged her to become a Divorce Coach to help others:
“I was with my husband for 15 years of my life, married for 10, and we have 2 children. The truth is that during my marriage I wasn’t treated as a full human being, I was constantly belittled and completely controlled financially and even socially.
During my marriage I lost a sense of who I was. I quit my career, job and projects to just focus on my family; and after 10 years of supporting my husband’s career, I was alone and facing divorce as a non-earning, unequal spouse. Trust in my relationship and, even more importantly, trust in myself had completely vanished. I had some amazing friends that helped me along the way. Others not so much.
This was a hard lesson, as many of my close friends completely turned their back on me. My family didn’t support me either. I come from a Latin American background with strong Catholic roots, so divorce was not an appropriate option from my family’s perspective.
I knew that I had to do this on my own. I had to get to know myself again, rediscover my strengths and discover other qualities I didn’t know I had. The only thing I knew for sure is that I possessed the courage to follow the irreversible decision of going through my divorce journey.
I had to understand the legal system. My resources and information were limited and so were my options. I started reading fervently about legal issues related to divorce, so I could figure out how to travel through the process myself. I learned some things this way. And other things I learned by making big mistakes. Mistakes I don’t want you to make.
Along the way I discovered the field of divorce coaching and went through the process of becoming a divorce coach. I wanted no other women to go through this process on their own, broken and blind sighted. This is why I am here today.”
Ana Maria Eder –Certified Divorce Coach- will be offering free counseling through a Webinar scheduled for next Tuesday, December 6 at 9:30 PM. Those interested can access the link through her website: www.anamariaeder.com
Originally published at www.huffingtonpost.com on November 30, 2016.
Originally published at medium.com