Under 30 and Divorced: 5 Women Share What It's Like

No one walks down the aisle on their wedding day with visions of their future divorce dancing in their heads, but statistics show separation is inevitable for some couples.

This is especially true for the ones who get hitched young. Before age 32, each additional year you wait to get married can reduce the risk of divorce by 11 percent, according to data from Nicholas H. Wolfinger, a professor of Family and Consumer Studies and adjunct professor of Sociology at the University of Utah. But what about people who do actually have to go through the whole young-and-divorced thing?

Here, five women share what they learned in the process and the advice they'd give to anyone in their shoes.

"To the girls out there going through the same thing, I'm not saying that taking a trip is the answer, but find something that fills you with excitement and accomplishment. 

Something that will make you say, ‘I did it, and that's why I'm awesome.’ Most of all, love yourself. If you don’t, you'll drag what hurt you in the past to the present."

Shan W. "I was 24 years old when I married, and I thought it would last forever. Three years later my husband announced, while I was in the shower, that he was leaving. I assumed it was for the day. He explain that it was for good, and it was for another woman. He said there was $200 in the bank, a half a dozen eggs in the fridge, and I could keep the crappy pressed wood furniture. I had no car, no job, and no family. I felt tossed aside like a dirty dish rag, with little or no worth.

Eventually, I got a car, a job where I worked my way up to a nice living, and put my life together better than it was before. My lesson learned is to never allow another person to define your value or worth. You are capable of so much more than you think you are."

Gloria Y. "I was married to my high school sweetheart for almost six years, but we grew to be radically different people. Because we’d held on to each other for so long, it seemed weird to even talk about breaking up. We subconsciously tried doing things to keep the spark alive, like adopting a dog, watching movies together, or at least spending time in the same room. We stopped even talking to each other aside from coordinating the dog’s walking schedule. I eventually found out that he had been planning a trip to Asia to meet a girl who worked in his company’s office out there, and that he’d been sending money overseas. 

We fought for a day, but once I had confirmation that there was someone else, I was 100 percent relieved to be done with the relationship. It was an out for me to finally do everything I’ve ever wanted to do. I promptly made plans to move to New York City, switch careers, and learn how to be myself. It took me over a year to be comfortable dating, as my self-esteem took a dive. 

I thought perhaps I wasn’t pretty enough, that there was something wrong with my personality, and that maybe I really should take up cleaning and cooking if I were to ever be ‘lucky’ enough to find a man. Maybe I was too selfish in pursuing my own interests, and that’s why I was dumped over someone else. And perhaps I’m just "not woman enough" to keep a husband." Read more

Source: MSN