Divorce is often very difficult for everyone involved. You and your soon-to-be-ex-spouse are probably pushed to the limit regardless of whether you’re parting amicably or whether you’re at each other’s throats. There are so many things to consider, and even if the divorce is initiated on good terms, you’re both starting a new chapter in your life — in itself more than enough stress.

Often, a divorce’s finalization represents the end of a long and arduous process. You deserve a breather. Stop, react, and mourn what has been lost — but not everything about divorce needs to be doom and gloom. Keeping an optimistic mindset at the termination of a long-term relationship will help heal your wounds more quickly and cleanly than will wallowing. The end of one chapter in your life means the beginning of a new one — and this can be a very good thing.

One thing you may wish to consider is throwing a divorce party: a celebration slowly growing in popularity. Akin to bachelor/ette parties and wedding receptions, a divorce party can be thrown either by one party of the divorce as a celebration of a new beginning, or jointly by the ex-couple as a final adieu to all they had together.

You may wish to approach a divorce party in a number of fashions. If looking to throw a tongue-in-cheek affair, you may wish to look into such things as divorce cakes (with the option of having one or both spouses crawling away from one another as toppers), ring coffins, and other decoration poking fun at the institution of marriage.

On the other hand, particularly if parting as friends, you may wish to gather your loved ones together in a more formal setting. Throwing a dinner party much akin to an engagement party might be appropriate; seeing mutual friends one last time and ensuring that sides needn’t be taken may put you, your spouse, and your friends at ease. By commemorating the occasion amicably and in memoriam of what you shared together, the parting may proceed even more peacefully than either of you thought possible while still recognizing the end of an important chapter in your life.

Regardless of the reason for your divorce, the time you and your spouse spent together should be recognized for what it is. Regardless of whether you’re celebrating your divorce with a “good riddance” attitude, or looking fondly back on the memories you and your spouse formed together, a divorce party may help you through a potentially difficult time — and help you well on your way to a new chapter in your life.