I separated from DH last autumn after years of growing apart and not really getting on well. It is a mutual and very amicable separation. We still go away for weekends with DS and DD. There is no hope of, and I do not want, reconciliation but we are much happier as friends. I have been taken aback by how conspicuous I feel in all aspects of my life. I feel shame around other families, esp school gates, at work and with some friends who fit better with society's expectations. It throws me back to feeling shame earlier in my life and also my continuing difficult/non-existent relationship with my mother.
I'm curious to know if other people have experienced this and whether it subsides and/or what works to ease this discomfort. I am generally a strong person, but I find it hard to recognise this at the moment.