Post-divorce triggers: they’re a thing, man!

There are divorce related triggers everywhere, just waiting to jump us as we make it through the day. Our goal is to eventually not let them bother us. Today I got jumped in a faculty meeting.

We were in the middle of a workshop on understanding behavior and managing negative student behaviors. The presenter gave an example to illustrate how behavior can result from different motivations. She said:

“Your spouse is constantly late coming home for dinner. What are the reasons for the behavior? One possibility is that your spouse is unorganized and can’t keep track of the time. Another possibility is that your spouse is trying to lose weight and is avoiding eating.”

Divorced Dad’s post-divorce mind went straight to option “c”…your spouse is having an affair with her business partner and prefers to spend her time at the office with him instead of home with you and the kids.

PTSD post-divorce. It’s a thing. One day the thoughts that pop up, reminding me of the pain of a broken relationship, will happen less often. I know this, and look forward to that day.