Good that you've gotten it even if he hasn't. From some of your posts, it doesn't sound to me as if you've had a lot to smile about in recent months.
Glad to know that your choice to let go of what simply isn't working for you, is freeing you up to smile a little more. Your students appear to be tuned into you. That's got to feel good. The end of a marriage is an emotional roller coaster ride in the beginning - not just because of the end of it, but because the grief tends to bring up hurts from our past although we're not always aware of it at the time. As a former facilitator for grieving people wanting to close the door on the past marriage, one of the things I noted that everyone had in common was a wounded child within them that seemed to become operative as they worked through the stages of grief and shared it with peers. Although we were all adults, those of us who were divorced or separated (not the widowed so much) had unhealed hurts from the past that showed up in the present. Journaling our feelings and sharing them with trusted others helped us become a community of wounded healers helping each other appreciate our value to life as people with deep feelings, wisdom and the ability to be of greater service to others because of the growth we experienced in communion with one another. What you are experiencing is a normal part of grief from what you've shared here - not manic behavior. Continue to be gentle and kind to yourself without labeling.
This is a very hard transition to make and its perfectly fine to feel the highs and lows of your experience. If you grieve deeply and well, those ups and downs will subside in time and you'll notice you feel so much more peaceful and grateful for making it "through the rain" of a major storm in your life.

I'm not a therapist. I'm not in your skin. But I've been through it and have never regretted making the decision to divorce the X. Lots of continued support for you as you re-craft your life to fit the new you.

Good thoughts being sent from VA.

Thank you all for your support as I hit the big turning point which is my H moving out.  Grateful2be---your post was very helpful, I have a very close friend who has also been talking with me about the stages of grief, in terms of me and my soon to be ex.

I am leaning on all of you , from VA to the UK and everywhere in between!

Hope you are all enjoying a peaceful weekend and staying cool

Mary

I remember this well( I say that a lot on this forum) my ex couldn't believe it when I ended things. at first he tried telling me I was throwing it all away, then he was really hurt, then angry saying that I had no right not giving him another chance, then the whole how could you do this to me. Denial is powerful. His drinking escalated but I recently spent an afternoon with him. First contact in months and he has finally embraced aa. A miracle! he is llooking into his past and getting to know himself. He was like a different person. He's working the steps. It makes me happy because he could become the father my children have needed And he could have a life for himself. I could never return to our relationship because we could trigger each others codependent patterns again, and I'm not ever living that way again. anyway, I do know what your going through and you and he might need that period of no contact that I needed because there's only so much you can listen too.x

Were we all married to the same A? I too left a perfectly good marriage because I overreacted, hmmm. There are quite a few people flowing down the river of denial and it saddens me, but I am glad my awareness is growing as is my outlook on life. Time, distance and space have been my friend to dig into my own recovery away from my A's and men in general. I am sending you much love and support!