Men and women face the challenges of divorce in very different ways. As many men turn inward and rely on risky behaviors to cope, most women gather family and friends around them to help them face the world. Here are three of the ways men change after a divorce.

Losing Access to the Kids

According to a custody lawyer in Hernando County, FL, one of the biggest problems most men face after a divorce is the loss of access to their children. Learning to juggle the required aspects of their new life can be overwhelming, and sometimes the children get pushed into the background because there are too few hours in a day. Many men also find it difficult to connecting with their children because it means dealing with the conflict associated with an ex-wife.

Losing Their Identity

Although it may be called old-fashioned by some, many men’s identity may be tied into their ability to provide for their family, and once the family is broken apart, those individuals can lose their sense of self as a breadwinner. Other men may view themselves as a husband and father, and when they return home each night to an empty home, that identity can re-shatter each night, and depression may set in.

Losing Grieving Time

It may come as no surprise that many men bottle up their feelings and refuse to take time to grieve over the loss of their family, children, and sense of self. Believing they must face the world alone, many men cover their pain, and the resulting pressure can cause health problems, depression, alcohol abuse, and an excess of sexual partners.

Whether it is due to social pressures or the physiological differences between the sexes, scientific studies show most men have difficulty dealing with their life after a divorce. The good news is that the world is often a bigger, brighter, and happier place just a few months after the break-up.