When my husband and I were divorced, I was devastated. We knew each other since we were teenagers, and I depended on him for everything. We did a lot of things as a couple, so when we got divorced, it felt like I’d had a death in the family.

At first, I was very withdrawn and I felt very lonely. I missed going out, but I felt happier by myself and didn’t want to be around my friends. Most of them had somebody, so I just wanted to be alone. But then I decided to change my life.

The first thing I did was meditate. I looked at what my life was and what I wanted it to be. Then, I wrote those things down. I knew I had to get rid of my baggage. I had to take care of me because when I was married I’d concentrated more on taking care of my husband. My self-esteem had been lost to the divorce, so I needed to change that.

I did this by spending more time with myself and regrouping with friends. I started meeting them for dinner or drinks, and then my social life picked up. Soon I felt I was a new person and finally having a different life.

That’s when I became happier and the loneliness started to dissipate.