How to Find Joy During Divorce (Even When You're Angry, Scared, and Exhausted) with Divorce Coach Lisa Lisser
Is it okay to feel joy while you are going through a divorce? In this episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell and divorce coach Lisa Lisser talk about how to hold joy alongside anger, fear, and grief. This conversation is for anyone who has sat through a school concert or a family dinner with their mind somewhere else, and wondered whether they are allowed to enjoy anything right now.
About Lisa Lisser
Lisa Lisser is a Certified Divorce Coach, BeH2O Child-Centered Coparenting Coach, and the founder of LZL Coaching. She came to this work after careers as an attorney, a nonprofit leader, and a Jewish educator and spiritual counselor, and after going through her own divorce. Lisa is a Fresh Starts Expert. You can view Lisa's Fresh Starts profile, visit the LZL Coaching website, or follow Lisa on Instagram.
Key takeaways
You can't command a feeling, but you can set up your situation so you have the opportunity to feel joy.
Divorce is a temporary season, even when it feels like it will never end. You are still allowed to keep living inside it.
Try choosing one short window, like a 45-minute school concert, to be fully present with your kids.
Ruminating can feel like connecting with yourself, but it often connects you to your worries instead.
Some days you won't be able to do this, and forgiving yourself for those moments is part of it.
If you are not ready for joy, that is okay. Divorce is not the only thing happening in your life right now.
You are not meant to go through fragile times alone. Building community matters most when things feel uncertain.
Mentioned in this episode
Situated by Angela Duckworth
The holiday of Sukkot and the tradition of building a sukkah
Where to listen
Listen to this episode using the player above, or find Divorce Happens wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Divorce Happens on Instagram and join The Divorce Happens Community on Substack.
If you would like support finding the right experts for your own divorce, Fresh Starts Registry offers free consults, a vetted expert network, and free guides.
Wherever you are in this season, we hope you find one small thing that makes you smile this week.