How to Help Your Friend Cope With Divorce

Listen. Listening is the simplest thing you can do and offer to your friend. Be all ears, you friend needs to express all their sadness, sorrow, anger or hatred. And when you're tired of listening, listen some more.

Don't talk about your friend's ex spouse. No matter how much you hate or like your friend's ex spouse, never say anything about them. You might think that exposing solidarity with your friend when they are bad-mouthing about them is a great way to cheer up your friend, you're wrong. Mentioning the ex spouse will only make your friend think about the past and grieve over what they've lost.

Help. The divorce turmoil takes a lot of time, but there are many things that have to be done. Picking up kids from school and cooking, for instance. Give your friend a helping hand in anything you can do.

Invite your friend and children to a sleepover. Staying alone in the house where your friend is used to happily live with their ex spouse isn't fun. Make sure that your friend distracts their attention from the divorce and thinks about anything else. And you can help it by inviting your friend and their children to your place for a family sleepover. Why do you need to do it? Because it's fun!

Invite your friend to Sunday dinners. Sundays are usually the most terrible days. While at work and busy with usual chores your friend may distract their attention from the thoughts of divorce. But Sundays are usually relaxed days and they are spent in a family circle. Invite your friend to Sunday dinners and make it a tradition, at least for now. Cook something special, that will make your friend smile and forget about divorce.

Call your friend and pick up the phone. Your friend has already lost a very important person, and now they don't want to go through it any more. If you've decided to help, then commit to it. Whenever your friend calls you, pick up the phone and try your best to help.

Spend time with your friend independent of your second half. It's always hard to cope with feelings, when you see happy couples. So if you spend time with your friend, do it independent of your spouse.

Attend family events with your friend. Your friend is used to attend family events with their spouse, and now being alone might be hard for them. Suggest your friend attending the events together with you. This way your friend will feel comfortable.

Sign up your friend for a class. Your friend might be dying to take a class, but can't afford it. Sign your friend up and also join it. The class might not improve your skills at all, but the best part is usually after it: the time that you spend together with your friend.