With the divorce I have lost my circle of friends - what to do?
The answer of the expert
It is understandable that you miss common friends and probably also wonder why the formerly common friends turn away from you. It almost sounds as if you blame yourself for the end of the marriage because the separation seems to come from you. Your ex-husband may also feel that he has a right to keep "his" old circle of friends as a network.
If possible, please talk to him in peace and describe your desire to stay in touch with some, perhaps not all, of your former friends. You may also consider which people in this circle are really important to you, so you can go straight to them and make contact. Misunderstandings can then be dispelled in conversation.
However, we would especially like to recommend that you become active and meet new people. Through sports or other recreational activities, you quickly get to know other people, so you may soon have interesting exchanges and your own environment for the new phase of life.
Nele Köhler is a psychologist. She works as a therapist in her own practice near Hamburg.
