Holly, it does get easier.
My ex left just less than a year ago. After the initial sigh of relief that it was finally at an end I looked at what I was left with and felt totally daunted....
Unfinished renovation project; 2 DD's (2&5) kind of confused and upset; DS (15) feeling rejected and full of anger and teenage angst. I worked less than 16 hours a week as a childminder, and as I live very rurally I am the only childminder which scuppered my options of going back to work full time.
All of my family live hundreds of miles away and after the first few weeks felt uneasy leaning all but a couple of long standing friends, so I spoke to my health visitor, who was absolutely wonderful.
She put us in touch with women's aid, and now me, DS and DD1 have regular support from them. Ds also sees another youth worker, and although it hasn't been easy, we are getting there.
I started another part time business from home to boost my earnings and hours to qualify for WTC, I have started a part time college course, and have moved the renovation forward enough to meet the councils approval for completion.
There are still times when I look at things and wonder how the hell I am going to manage, times when ExP makes things hard, and I want to just sit and cry, but those times are getting fewer.
As your DC gets older, you will reap the rewards of all of your hard work (although you might want to write that down somewhere during the teenage years to remind you) and it will all be worth it. Stay strong xx