Believe it or not, the odds are high that your spouse has already at least thought about getting a divorce. They may not have talked to you about it. They may not have taken any steps toward ending the marriage. But they have thought about it.
It’s just a statistical probability. Studies have found that the majority of married people have thought about divorce at some point. For some, it was in the previous six months. For most, it was just sometime during their marriage.
It could be that you and your spouse ran into marital trouble and then got through it. Your relationship leveled out again, but your spouse did consider ending it if things didn’t improve. It could be that they considered divorce and moved on from the idea for some other reason. Or, it could be that they’re still wondering about divorce, even if they haven’t acted on their feelings.
What does this mean for you?
This isn’t intended to make you worry. It’s just to show that many couples consider splitting up. When people say that it came out of nowhere, odds are that they just missed the signs.
What you want to do is simply to understand that divorce is possible in any marriage. Understanding what legal steps to take during the divorce, with the goal of protecting your future, is very important. If you consider these things in advance, you’ll be ready if your spouse does bring it up.
On the other hand, perhaps you are the spouse who has been thinking about divorce. Just know that you are far from alone — and, once again, it’s wise to learn as much about the process as you can (before you act).
